


Force Bond 1: Orphan

by kittandchips



Series: Force Bond [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Parent Darth Vader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2001-07-09
Updated: 2001-07-09
Packaged: 2021-02-22 22:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 45,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23901703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittandchips/pseuds/kittandchips
Summary: After Owen and Beru are killed by a mysterious stranger, young Luke ends up as an orphan on Coruscant. It's a race against time as Obi-Wan struggles to find Luke before Vader realizes the boy is his son.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader
Series: Force Bond [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722820
Comments: 42
Kudos: 258





	1. Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first of a four part series with Vader and Luke as the two central characters. I first wrote it after The Phantom Menace came out, and before Attack of the Clones, so I've since revised it several times to comply with later movies. This latest revision is to comply with elements introduced by the Rogue One movie, and later official sources. I also took the time to fix some pacing issues with the middle section of this story, so I've compressed it down to 8 chapters. Any questions about the changes, please feel free to send me a DM or use my ask box on Tumblr.

Beru knew there could be only one reason why she found herself awake. There was only _ever_ one reason why anyone was woken prematurely on the Lars' family farm. The name of that reason was Luke Skywalker. Somewhere in the corridor, a muffled thud was sounding at regular intervals. Footsteps, treading softly against the sandy floor of the homestead. _Trying_ to tread softly, at least, but not succeeding.

She smiled to herself. He must be sneaking out for a midnight snack. She'd left a slice of pie in the cooling unit for precisely that purpose, knowing how hungry young boys could be in the early hours of the morning.

As she turned her head to view the chronometer, she found she had to sit up to see over the snoring body of Owen. Two after midnight—another three hours 'til dawn. Like all farmers, they rose and slept with the twin suns.

Beru was about to roll over and return to her slumber, when the flicker of a shadow caught her eye. She squinted, trying to see through the darkness. It was the wrong shape for Luke—too large for one thing. Perhaps she should go and investigate. The chances of a Tusken Raider actually breaking through their security fence was very slim, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

She listened carefully for another sound, for any other clue that might hint of an intruder. When none was forthcoming, she turned over, dismissing the shadow as a trick of the light. It was better just ... to go back to ... sleep …

* * *

Luke looked over his shoulder in terror. There was something coming for him, chasing him! Why couldn't he move? It was five spans away ... two spans away ... screams were echoing around him, hurting his ears, becoming more and more frantic. He desperately struggled against his paralyzed limbs as a large hand reached out, blocking the light—

He sat up quickly, with his heart pounding in his chest. Only a dream, only a dream!

It was eerily silent, save for his rapid breathing.

Until another agonized scream filled Luke's ears.

"Aunt Beru!"

He jumped out of bed and ran to the window. Across the courtyard, he could see a red, glowing light shimmering in the windows of his aunt and uncle's bedroom. Suddenly, his aunt's screams stopped. A prickly sensation traveled up Luke's spine and around his neck.

_Run, Luke! Hide!_

Luke didn't need any strange voices in his head to tell him twice. He made a dash for the door, and then found himself face down in the dust. He struggled back up, rubbing his leg. He had tripped over his model T-16. He grabbed it and crept out into the courtyard.

He made his way to the garage and then hid behind an old, broken droid shell. Across the courtyard was the entrance to his guardian's bedroom. He squinted, trying to see. What was that smoking lump by the doorframe? It almost looked like a body ...

Luke didn't have time to dwell on it. A dark, shadowy figure emerged from the homestead, and the red glowing light extended directly from its hand. It was heading straight for him.

Suddenly, it was just like his dream. He was too scared to move! Where were his aunt and uncle? Why didn't they come?

The dark figure wasn't in any hurry. It calmly reduced the distance between itself and Luke with grim determination. Luke could only stare in wide-eyed terror.

_Run, Luke!_

Luke looked around in confusion. Who had said that? Besides, where was he going to run to? There was only ... the speeder. He could escape in the landspeeder! But the dark shadow was nearly on top of him, and his legs were frozen. He'd never make it! It was too late ...

A blur of motion obscured Luke's view. Something had come flying off the garage roof and was now standing between Luke and the attacker. Luke found his legs weren't as useless as he thought. He ran, jumped into the old landspeeder, and gunned the engine.

He didn't look back.

* * *

The enemy cursed as he heard Luke escape. He made to go after him but instead met Obi-Wan's lightsaber. One quick feint, and Obi-Wan brought the blade around in a circle, slicing straight through the attacker's left arm. The now useless appendage flew in one direction, while the attacker's lightsaber clattered away in the other.

A raspy hissing noise emerged from the depths of the black robes, and the attacker stumbled backwards.

"Who are you?!" Obi-Wan demanded, stepping forward with his blade pointed at the attacker's throat. "Why did you kill the Lars?"

The black-robed figure stepped closer, in defiance of Obi-Wan's blade. Obi-Wan had felt the Dark Side many times in his long career as a Jedi Knight, but at that moment, it took all his effort to avoid shifting away. A damp coldness surrounded him, touching his every sense.

A voice responded to his question in a low whisper. "Why do you protect the son of Vader, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan reeled at the words. Luke, not the Lars, was this evil being's target.

A clatter from behind caused Obi-Wan to whirl around in surprise. The attacker's lightsaber flew at him from the desert floor.

Obi-Wan swung his lightsaber in defense, batting the blade away. But even as he turned, he knew the attacker's distraction had succeeded. The black figure flew upwards, performing a gravity-defying leap up to the desert surface. Once at the top, he paused to look down at Obi-Wan, silhouetted against the dark blue sky.

Then he disappeared.

Obi-Wan sighed wearily, and he turned off his lightsaber. He faced the spot where he'd last seen Luke, but there was nothing but a cloud of dust, stirred up by a landspeeder.

He crossed the courtyard and entered Owen and Beru's bedroom. All that remained of the Lars were a few smoking remains.

Obi-Wan had witnessed many senseless murders in his life, but it never lost its horror. Although Owen Lars had never made him feel welcome at the farm, Obi-Wan had always respected the gruff and serious farmer. It took determination to forge a living out here. Determination and a strong spirit.

On that point, he and Beru had been a perfect couple. Beru's nature was a counterpoint to Owen's harsh exterior. She was always the peacemaker, always ready to smile in the face of disagreement. Both had loved Luke as dearly as if he had been their own son.

As he set about the grisly task of giving Luke's former guardians a proper burial, Obi-Wan wondered about the identity of the Lars murderer. A Dark Side user, obviously, but not a Sith. Undoubtedly one of the few Jedi who had managed to survive the purge. Many of those survivors had allowed themselves to become consumed by hatred of Vader and Sidious, and they had become slaves to the Dark Side themselves, long before they had an idea what was slowly consuming their souls. Some had even joined them and called themselves inquisitors, hunting down their former brothers and sisters in the Force.

If this one had gone after Luke it meant Vader's true identity was not as secret as Obi-Wan had previously thought.

As the first rays of sunlight lit the dawn sky, Obi-Wan placed two stones at the head of the Lars' grave. Five graves now stood in a line, representing two generations of the Lars family. Perhaps the last two generations.

But one Skywalker still remained. Obi-Wan turned away from the graves and scanned the desert horizon, shielding his eyes from the suns. There was no sign of Luke or his impending return.

He frowned to himself. The desert was no place for an eleven year old boy. However, without transportation, there wasn't much he could do. Going after him on foot in the heat of the day wasn't a prudent idea.

He made his way down into the homestead, searching for something else he could do to assist Luke. Contacting the authorities at Anchorhead was a start. He didn't trust the Hutts or the Imperials, but there was a civilian search and rescue team that would be only too happy to help.

At any rate, he had to report the Lars' death.

He entered the main kitchen, and his gaze fell on the long-distance communicator immediately. It wasn't hard to miss—it was still smoking. Torn wires trailed from it, spreading halfway down the bench.

The Lars' murderer had certainly made a thorough job. An ironic thought stirred in Obi-Wan's mind ... Anakin could have it fixed before he could say 'Blast!'.

But those days were long gone.

Now there was nothing he could do except wait. Wait and trust in the Force to keep Anakin's son safe.

* * *

Luke crawled out of the space under the landspeeder's steering controls, still gasping for breath. Tusken bodies lay haphazardly around the speeder. A stormtrooper was walking among them, gathering up their gaffi sticks and rifles.

Luke tried to speak, but he found his throat was dry. He hadn't had anything to drink since leaving the farm. The stormtrooper caught sight of him, and immediately dropped the Tusken's weapons to reach for his own blaster. A split second before he fired, he must have registered Luke's non-threatening appearance, and he lowered the weapon.

"Sir," the stormtrooper said, lowering his blaster. "There's a boy down here."

Luke looked up, seeing another stormtrooper up on the desert surface, mounted on a dewback.

"A boy?"

"A human child."

"Bring him back with you."

The stormtrooper whistled, and a dewback mount came lumbering around the corner of the rocky valley. The trooper loaded the Tusken's weapons into a side pouch and beckoned Luke over.

"Come on, boy."

Luke hesitated. He didn't want to stay here alone, that was for sure. But he didn't want to leave the landspeeder, either.

The stormtrooper then held out a transparent bottle of water. That made up Luke's mind. He opened the speeder door and ran over, clutching his T-16 model tightly. He drunk eagerly from the bottle, letting the cool water run over his mouth and down his neck.

When he had finished, the trooper lifted him onto the dewback and climbed up behind him. With a loud roar that echoed against the rocky walls, the dewback turned its head and began the journey out of the valley.

Its gait was stable and rhythmic, and the gentle rocking lulled Luke into a drowsy state. He leaned forward, resting against the back of the dewback's head. Its skin felt smooth, despite its rough appearance, and it was pleasantly warm. It made him wonder if all the events at the farm that morning had only been a nightmare.

He didn't know how long he lay there, flopping gently back and forth, but it seemed like a long, long time. Eventually, it all came to an end. His journey companion gave him a shake, and he sat up to find they were nearing the center of Anchorhead. There were very few people around, and for that, Luke was grateful, given the fact he was wearing his pajamas. It was nearing the hottest part of the day, and most people would be indoors, cooling down with a cold drink.

The odd street-wanderer who remained didn't bother to stare at them, though. Staring at a stormtrooper was asking for trouble.

Their dewback swerved down a side street, obviously knowing the way to the base without having to be guided. They soon arrived at a courtyard, where several other dewbacks rested in a stable, which was really just a tarpaulin thrown over an arrangement of posts.

The stormtrooper lifted Luke to the ground, and then dismounted himself. He stripped the various pouches hanging from the saddle and draped them over Luke like he was a clotheshorse. Luke frowned in annoyance, until he was handed the water bottle. It must have had a cooling unit attached, because the water was still cold, despite their journey through the desert. He gulped several mouthfuls, and then offered it to the stormtrooper. He ignored it, too busy seeing to the dewback. Luke wondered how he could go so long without water—especially in that suit of armor.

When the trooper returned from tying up the dewback, he relieved Luke of the pouches and pushed him towards the dark entranceway. There was no one guarding the door, and they walked through several rooms before another stormtrooper appeared.

He had a colored patch on his shoulder, which allowed Luke to recognize him as the Anchorhead base commander. There were no Imperials in Anchorhead who were not stormtroopers, as it was not important enough to warrant any higher attention.

Luke felt self-conscious as the man stared at him.

"We found him out in the wastes," his companion explained. "I think his family were killed by Tuskens."

"What is his name?"

"I don't know, sir."

Both troopers looked down at him, obviously expecting him to fill in the gap.

Luke tried to speak, but somehow, he couldn't quite form the words. It was as though he had forgotten how to speak. His mouth opened and closed, but no words were formed.

"I'll put a message on the local HoloNet," the commander said, eventually. "If someone hasn't responded by sundown, we'll transfer him to Mos Eisley."

Luke flinched at the words. Mos Eisley? He didn't want to go there. He wanted to go back home, with his aunt and uncle. He tried to say this, to explain it to the commander, but again, no words left his mouth. He turned away in frustration.

* * *

An hour after high noon, Obi-Wan set off across the desert, in the direction of the nearest farm. He had locked up the homestead and left a note stuck to the door, explaining to Luke where he would be, should he come home.

It would have taken a normal being a good three hours to reach the farm, if they were used to the heat, of course, but Obi-Wan managed to do it in half that time. The resident farmer was initially hostile to his presence ... he had gained a somewhat exaggerated reputation among the locals as a crazed sorcerer. The serious nature of his visit soon became apparent though, as he told of the Lars' death and the danger Luke was in.

The farmer immediately launched into detailed speculation about who the Lars had fallen victim to.

"It will be the Tuskens, for sure. Old Owen Lars ... always insisted he could show those monsters a thing or two."

"I must use your long distance comlink," Obi-Wan said, not willing to enlighten the farmer as to the true identity of the Lars murderer.

"I wish you could," the farmer shrugged. "But it's been broken for a month now. Been meaning to get it fixed, but I haven't been able to afford it."

Obi-Wan visibly slumped.

"You can check the local search and rescue HoloNet transmissions, though," the farmer continued, beckoning him down into their garage. "Maybe he's already been found."

"Thank you." Obi-Wan sighed with relief. At least it was something.

The computer terminal was archaic, but it was working. Obi-Wan quickly brought up the data and scanned the archive of news. One short line of text attracted Obi-Wan's attention immediately.

_Found, this morning. Human boy, pre-pubescent, blonde hair, blue eyes, dressed in pajamas. Claim at the Anchorhead Imperial base._

"That's him!" Obi-Wan almost laughed with relief. "Thank the Force he is safe." He turned to the farmer. "I must get to Anchorhead immediately. Do you have transport?"

The man gestured at an old, rickety landspeeder. "I'll have you there in no time."

From the looks of it, the farmer's boast was a vast exaggeration, but Obi-Wan had no reason to complain. Within ten minutes, he was on his way to Anchorhead, speeding across the dunes as fast as the old landspeeder could carry them. The farmer sat in the driver's seat, and Obi-Wan was appreciative of his understanding of the urgency of this situation.

The farmer made an attempt at conversation, but Obi-Wan could not afford the distraction. He could sense something. Not anything strong enough to cause him to stop this journey towards Luke, but it was unsettling, none the less.

" ... three generations, all wiped out because of those vile creatures. It's enough to make one wonder why we bother with this place."

Obi-Wan nodded, half-listening. His sense was growing ever stronger.

"When word of the Lars' death gets around, I can guarantee there will be a few people packing up and heading for greener pastures. Empire or no Empire, the core worlds must be safer than this."

"Stop the speeder!" Obi-Wan demanded. He stood up, reaching for his lightsaber.

The farmer complied, and Obi-Wan jumped down onto the sand.

"What is it?" he asked.

But Obi-Wan couldn't spare the time to answer him. He walked a few paces up onto a rise and surveyed the horizon.

A sudden yell behind him caused him to twist around, igniting his lightsaber in the process. He was a millisecond too late. The black-robed figure was already in the speeder's driver's seat, having thrown the farmer onto the ground. He gunned the engine, leaving Obi-Wan and the farmer in a cloud of dust.

Obi-Wan immediately stepped forward to check the farmer for injuries, but he shuffled back in shock. "Get away from me!"

Obi-Wan hastily switched off his lightsaber, realizing it must be scaring him. It was too little too late, though. The man stood up and ran. Obi-Wan called out, urging him to wait, but he soon came to the conclusion it was useless. Luke was his priority now.

He resumed the journey on foot, moving as fast as he could. His adversary may have a speeder, but he was willing to bet he did not know where Luke was. If he did, he would have been in Anchorhead, not skulking around the desert, waiting in shadows to ambush him.

Still, that knowledge did not slow Obi-Wan's pace.

* * *

The light was dimming when a near exhausted Obi-Wan arrived in Anchorhead. He did not take a direct route to the Imperial base, due to his painful awareness of his enemy's likely presence among the populace. He shifted with stealth through the streets, keeping his eyes open and his senses heightened.

As he slipped in the doorway of the Imperial base, he became aware that Luke's presence in the Force was nowhere to be sensed.

"Can I help you?" A stormtrooper stepped out of the main office, looking him up and down.

"Yes. I'm looking for a young boy. Blonde hair, blue eyes, by the name of Luke Skywalker. I believe he was taken here after being picked up in the desert."

"You're his guardian?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said, not wanting to waste time explaining.

"Pity. I just put him on a transport to Mos Eisley ten minutes ago."

"Mos Eisley?" Obi-Wan snapped, his frustration getting the better of him. "Why in the blazes would you send him there?"

"This isn't an orphanage, old man. If you wanted him back, you should have contacted us earlier. We thought his parents were killed by the Tusken raiding party we found him with."

"I didn't ..." Obi-Wan broke off, realizing it was futile. "Where in Mos Eisley has he been sent?"

"To the Child Protection Services building. Go and see them there."

Obi-Wan nodded and turned swiftly, leaving the building. A minor setback, that was all. He would obtain a speeder and go after him. Luke would be safe in his care by morning.

* * *

Luke was exhausted. Not from tiredness as much as sheer frustration. It was normally hard to get people to listen to you when you were eleven years old, but near impossible when you struggled to form a coherent sentence.

He didn't want to go to Mos Eisley. He had fought and struggled until the stormtrooper commander had at least agreed to try and contact his aunt and uncle. Luke had entered the frequency himself, just to make sure they got it right. He had sat in the commander's office for almost an hour, waiting for someone to answer that call.

But nobody did.

After that, he had no longer resisted their attempts to put him in a speeder and take him away. Without his aunt and uncle, there was nothing for him there now.

It was getting dark now. Dark and cold. He huddled up in the passenger seat and wrapped the provided blanket tightly around his body. He watched the desert scenery pass by the window, but he didn't really see any of it. There was too much on his mind.

It was funny how quickly things could change. Yesterday, he couldn't have imagined a time when his aunt wouldn't be there to tell him to clean his teeth, or he wouldn't hear his uncle yelling at him to do his chores. Now he was never going to see them again.

Luke wiped away a stray tear as he thought about it. He should have done something ... maybe if he hadn't been so afraid he could have saved them.

The stormtrooper driver, if he heard his quiet sniffs, did not offer any sympathy. "We're here now, kid. Get out."

Luke fumbled for the door release. Once outside, he saw he had been taken to a well-maintained building, near the spaceport center. There was a sign outside, which said 'Child Protection Services'.

The stormtrooper held him tightly by the arm and guided him into the building. Luke looked down at his feet and pulled the blanket closer, clutching his T-16 model tightly while the stormtrooper argued with the caretaker about overcrowding. He must have looked pathetic, because the man spoke to him in a gentler tone after the stormtrooper had made a quick exit.

"Don't worry, we'll find a place for you. Come with me."

Luke shuffled after the man, and he was led down a corridor. Everything was white and clean in here, not dank and dusty like the buildings in Anchorhead. He could hear the yells and shouts of other children coming from distant rooms.

His guide made a sharp left into a room, where a woman was organizing a large group of children. They all had packing cases and extra clothing, and it appeared to Luke as though they were preparing for a long trip.

"Liska, a stormtrooper just turned up with a boy. They said his parents were killed by Tuskens, and they found him in the desert this morning. Is there room for one more upstairs?"

The woman shook her head. "A couple of this lot made a fuss about leaving ... I didn't have the heart to force them."

The man turned back to Luke. "How would you like to go to another planet?"

Luke's heart jumped at the words. That's what he always dreamed of doing! He nodded eagerly.

"Take him with you, then, Liska. He's willing."

Luke found himself pushed into the room and added to the existing group of children. They stared at him curiously, but Luke was too shaken to show them the same attention. _Another planet!_

The woman in charge, Liska, appeared beside him. "Are those all the clothes you have?" she said, gesturing at his pajamas.

Luke nodded.

"I'll find you some more. It's cold in space."

"Does it snow?" a younger child asked.

Some of the older children laughed and began teasing the younger one. Luke drew away from the group, partially because he was shy, but mostly because he wanted to be alone right now. Presently, Liska returned with a thick poncho, and Luke gratefully slipped it over his head.

"We're going to the speeder bus now," Liska said to the group. "Keep together! We don't want anyone left behind!"

Luke followed the group as they were led onto the waiting vehicle in the back courtyard, and Luke purposely selected a window seat. Perhaps it was because he was staring so intently into the darkness, but just as they rose into the air, he thought he caught a glimpse of a black-cloaked figure, staring at them from the doorway of the building.

He shuddered, looking away.

* * *

It was a tired, yet still determined, Obi-Wan who drove up outside the Child Protection Services building in a rented speeder. He jumped out and took one step towards the door, before his Force sense alerted him to danger.

Through the door, the glow of his lightsaber lit up a trail of dust and dirt all the way into an office, where the remains of a receptionist droid lay in still smouldering pieces. The sight made him turn abruptly and rush up the stairs, dreading what he would find. In the first room at the top of the stairs, he pushed the door-release and flattened himself against the wall, lightsaber ready.

Inside, he heard audible gasps, followed by silence. He looked around the edge and found a group of children staring right back at him, with wide-eyed expressions of fear. A couple of adults were in the room as well, holding the younger children.

Obi-Wan deactivated his lightsaber and raised his hands in a universal gesture of peace.

"It's all right. I'm a friend. What happened here?"

A male adult stood up. "Someone dressed in a black robe and holding a laser sword forcibly entered the building."

"He's gone now," Obi-Wan said. Of that, he was certain. "He was looking for a human boy, with blonde hair, blue eyes ... he's eleven years old. It's imperative that I find him. Have you seen him?"

"A stormtrooper brought in a boy of that description just ten minutes ago," the man said. "He's gone to a docking bay with another group of children."

"A _docking_ _bay_? Why?"

"They're going to the core worlds. We've run out of room for orphans here. There just aren't enough families able to adopt."

"What's the number of the docking bay?" Obi-Wan asked, desperately.

"Ninety-Eight."

Obi-Wan turned and made a run for the nearest window. He jumped out and landed below in the speeder driver's seat. Within a second, he had disappeared in a cloud of dust.

* * *

Luke couldn't believe his eyes as he stepped off the speeder bus. Their ship was huge! Even if he craned his neck all the way back, he still couldn't see the top. Floodlights illuminated it from all sides, in a manifestation of the awe with which he regarded it.

Chains of freight handlers were loading cargo into the exposed storage bays, creating a noisy hive of activity. Luke and the other children were just another shipment of cargo for these workers, and they pointed and pushed, directing them to the passenger's entrance.

Luke lagged behind though, wanting to see the ship's engines. A freight hauler of this size would need some impressive thrust to propel it into orbit. It wouldn't take a minute ... he could take a quick peek around the side, and then run and catch up with the rest.

* * *

Obi-Wan abandoned the speeder halfway down the street leading to the docking bay and sprinted the rest of the way. Once he reached the outer wall, he bent his knees and leapt up to the top. The position gave him an immediate advantage. His eyes scanned the brightly lit docking bay, searching for any sign of Luke. Perhaps he was already on board.

No, there he was. Just like his father, he couldn't resist checking out a ship's engines, and he had obviously broken off from the main group. A sudden sense of danger urged Obi-Wan into action. He flipped off the roof and ran full tilt towards Luke, lightsaber ignited in anticipation of an attack.

"Luke! Get down!" he called in warning, fearful he would not reach him in time.

Luke froze for a second, staring at him in fright. His instincts must have kicked in though, because he threw himself on the ground. Just in time. A blaster bolt streaked over the top of him, exploding into the side of the ship.

Then, mass confusion erupted in the docking bay. Maintenance workers panicked, yelling out and pointing in all directions. Obi-Wan had seen the attacker though, concealed on the roof of an observation tower. If he ran, he just might reach him in time, but that would involve leaving Luke, something he never intended to do again.

He stood protectively between Luke and the direction of the blaster shots, lightsaber poised to deflect any further assaults. His concentration shattered when he felt a rumble behind him. He turned, eyes instantly shifting to the spot where he'd last seen Luke. The boy was gone. The ship was taking off.

Obi-Wan sprinted in the direction of the cockpit, ignoring the roaring wind of the repulsorlifts that were pushing him away. He had to stop this ship.

"Wait!" he yelled. "Stop!" He waved desperately at the pilots, but they either could not see him or chose to ignore him.

Within a minute, the ship was simply another moving dot among hundreds in the Mos Eisley sky.

Luke had left Tatooine.

* * *

Nearby, on another Outer Rim planet that was even less hospitable than Tatooine, Darth Vader could feel a disturbance in the Force. Falling deeper into his meditative trance, he watched as a swirling blue light began to split and then coalesce into two separate points of light. One of them was moving quickly away from the other. He nudged at it with his own Force presence, seeking knowledge. Perhaps another Jedi had come out of hiding.

"My lord?"

Vader opened his eyes, seeing Vaneé had entered the meditation room. He was carrying a datapad.

"My apologies for the interruption. Senator Denna has arrived. Also, the Grand Vizier has sent this encrypted message."

Vader raised a hand and the datapad flew across the distance between them. The message unlocked in response to his bio-scan. It only had one sentence.

_Please, I beg you, kill this man and make it look like an accident._

Interesting. Mas Amedda was used to dealing with annoying politicians. He was one himself, after all, and spoke their language. If Senator Denna had truly broken him, perhaps he shouldn't leave such a unique guest waiting.

He stood up from his cross-legged position on the black, round ottoman and passed the datapad back to Vaneé as he left the room.

"Have that message destroyed."

"Yes, my lord."

* * *

The main gate that separated the rest of the fortress from the entrance hall hummed upwards slowly, giving Vader time to observe the Coruscant politician who stood waiting on the lighted circular platform. He had his arms wrapped around his torso, and was looking around as if he couldn't understand why anyone would choose to live here.

He didn't wait for Vader to greet him as he walked down the bridge towards him.

"Lord Vader. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me."

Vader came to a halt a meter in front of him. The senator was dressed in a tailored high-fashion suit with multiple Imperial flag pins. "Senator Denna."

"Did you have a chance to read my proposal? I would very much like the opportunity to present it to the Emperor, as I have no doubt it will have great benefits for our expansion activities in the Monassi sector."

He did have a vague recollection of an assistant mentioning a two-thousand page proposal from a high-ranking senator and offering to have it summarized. The man had hastily changed the subject in response to Vader's pointed suggestion of what might be a better use of his time.

Vader turned away, looking out through the viewport at the distant lava flows.

"Your enthusiasm for this proposal seems to have pushed the Grand Vizier to breaking point, Senator. Are you sure it's wise to pursue it?"

"Ah, yes, well … that was a little misunderstanding. The Monassi senator had some issues, and during the meeting to discuss it, things did become a little heated, and there was some damage to the Grand Vizier's office. I did of course offer to pay for the repairs."

Vader stepped closer to the man, causing him to move back, closer to the edge.

"Tell me about your project. Quickly."

His voice shook slightly as he stumbled over his words. "Monassi has a vast conservation reserve in the southern hemisphere. Surveys show it has many untapped fuel and mineral reserves. My proposal demonstrates how the land would be put to much better use as a prison labour work camp. My constituents have no desire to see another prison built on Coruscant, and it's time we looked further afield."

Vader took another step closer. The senator again took a step back.

"You own shares in the mining guild, do you not?" he said quietly.

A look of confusion shifted across the man's face, before disappearing into a politician's mask.

"I own shares in many organisations but that's nothing to do with—"

"Your proposal is to use Imperial resources to further your own profit."

"No, no, nothing—"

"You are a thieving, lying, scum pond of a politician."

He took one more step forward. The man took his final step backward, tottered precariously on the edge, and then plunged into the depths, filling the cavern with his scream of terror. Vader watched as he sunk into the lava below, disappearing beneath the surface amid a cloud of steam.

Vaneé was waiting by the gate when he returned. His tone was even when he spoke.

"Unfortunate he was so unsteady on his feet, my lord."

* * *


	2. Coruscant

Coruscant.

That's where they were going. Luke had heard of it before, of course—who hadn't heard of the capital of the galaxy? It was all one gigantic city; no oceans, no forests, no mountains ... and definitely no sand.

He'd been on this ship for hours now. Along the way, they'd made brief stops at other planets, and each time, the small group of orphans had halved. Now, there was only himself and four others. Coruscant was the last stop.

He wondered what was going to happen to him there. It would have been a wonderful adventure, if not for the constant ache in his heart. He was never going to see his aunt and uncle again. He'd always dreamed of leaving Tatooine, but he didn't want it to be like this.

"Do you think there will be banthas on Coruscant?"

Luke looked up at the small Ithorian boy sitting opposite him. He must be very young to ask such a thing.

"I think so," the girl next to him replied. "What would the sand people ride without banthas?"

"There are no sandpeople on Coruscant," their caretaker explained, from the other end of the room. "There's no sand. Only buildings."

A shudder ran through the craft, and Luke quickly scrambled up on the seat to look out the window. They had entered the atmosphere. Far below, spires and towers could be seen sticking up out of the clouds.

The ship gradually descended, revealing more of the buildings below. Luke opened his eyes as wide as he could, desperate to see more of the wondrous sight before him. Where was the ground? All he could see was an endless criss-cross pattern of trenches, filled with speeders of every shape and size.

Their ship dropped lower and lower, but Luke still could not see any sign of the ground. He wondered if it even existed.

He could have remained with his nose pressed against the glass for weeks, just staring at the constantly changing view, but the ship had landed, and their caretaker was calling him.

"Come on! We're here!"

Luke reached into the poncho, making sure he was still carrying his model T-16. Tatooine already felt like a lifetime ago.

Outside, he was immediately met with the stench of air pollution. He wrapped his arm around his mouth and then craned his neck, trying to see where he was. He was too low to see the top of the building, yet too high to see the bottom.

"Come on, kid!" the caretaker called, sounding annoyed this time.

He trotted after the group, who had already begun to move into the building. Why was everyone in such a hurry?

Inside, it seemed like they walked for hours, up stairways, and across walkways, until they finally arrived in a gray, sterile plaza. Luke looked around, reading the signs above the various offices. There was a law firm, and an accountant agency. Luke's eyes fell on the largest office: 'Imperial Family Services'.

Was this somewhere they took kids who needed to find a new family?

They walked past the stormtrooper guards and into a large reception area. There were several queues of people, streaming away from a single desk, and all of them seemed unhappy. Hopefully they weren't the new families being offered. There were no people behind the desk, only one red protocol droid. The droid left the desk and moved over to meet them, causing the abandoned queues of people to all groan in annoyance.

"Are these new arrivals?" he asked, sounding as impatient as a droid could sound.

Their caretaker nodded. She handed the droid a datachip. "That contains their records. Except for the blond human." She gestured vaguely at Luke. "We have no records for him. Sorry, I don't even know his name."

Luke looked at his feet, feeling like he didn't really exist.

Their caretaker bent down to say goodbye. "I'm leaving you with the nice droid now," she said. "Be good."

Several of the younger children began to cry at the caretaker's words. She didn't pause in her hasty departure, though. Luke tried to comfort a small girl standing beside him, but she was inconsolable.

The droid was oblivious to the irritating wails. It beckoned to a nearby stormtrooper, who moved forward immediately. The droid extended one of its spindly arms and handed the trooper the datachip.

"These children have just arrived. Enter their details into the computer system and then take them to the incoming dormitory."

"Forget it," the trooper said. "I'll take them to the dormitory, but data entry is your job, droid."

Luke blinked in surprise. He'd never heard a trooper disobey an order before.

"I am aware of that, trooper, but as you can see—" the droid gestured behind him, where the queue had extended by another three meters. "I am otherwise occupied."

"I'm a soldier, not your secretary!"

They continued to argue for a good two minutes, with the droid making calm, rational responses while the trooper grew increasingly emotional. Luke watched this exchange in puzzlement, until the trooper finally relented and started pushing the group towards a nearby office.

"All right, hurry up, I haven't got all day!" He then mumbled something behind his helmet which sounded suspiciously to Luke like 'sniveling brats'.

He rushed through the processing part, banging the computer buttons with such force, Luke was sure the records must be full of typos. When he discovered Luke had no record, he cursed with a few exotic swear words, and then started interrogating him for details.

"Name?"

Luke tried to speak, but found he still couldn't remember quite how to form words.

"Age?" the trooper asked, impatiently.

Luke shrugged, shifting away in fear. The other children were staring at him like he was crazy, but he couldn't help it. He just couldn't remember how to talk.

"Ah, forget it."

He was left alone, but not for long. Once the trooper had finished with the computer, he came around with a big roll of labeling tape. Every child received a label, containing a serial number and a name. All except for Luke's—his label had a number, but instead of a name, his had 'unknown'.

Luke studied his number, wondering whether it was random, or whether it related to anything. It was 15123.

The incoming dormitory turned out to be one large hall, full of noisy children. Some were running around in circles, others were fighting, but most were simply huddled against the walls, looking scared. Their stormtrooper host made sure they were all in and then shut and locked the door.

The younger children in their group began to cry louder, but they were scarcely audible above the racket in the room. Luke gazed around, wondering where he was supposed to fit into all this chaos. Eventually, he picked a space against the wall and sat down, hugging his knees.

"Where are you from?"

Luke turned to the speaker, feeling nervous at being spoken to. It was a girl, around his age.

His mouth made the movements to answer her, but no sound filled the air between them. He turned away in frustration.

She soon lost interest in him and walked off to participate in a nearby game of cards. He looked around for something to hide under and saw a thick, black blanket, folded neatly in a corner. When he wrapped it around himself, it created a dark cave, where he could withdraw from staring eyes and questions he couldn't answer.

He wasn't sure if he ever planned to come out.

* * *

It was puzzling, sometimes, the way the human memory worked. Vader considered his past life as Anakin Skywalker a faded, insignificant thing, much like a recollection of an old holovid story. The passions and sentiments associated with that persona were alien to him. However, on this particular morning, his younger, adolescent self didn't seem so far away.

Once again, he was in trouble with his master.

The Emperor sat behind his desk in the spires of the palace, turned away to face the sprawling cityscape beyond the windows. He'd recalled him to Coruscant a few hours ago, but had not yet enlightened him as to the reason for his displeasure, and Vader could only guess what crime he had committed. If this situation was indeed anything like his younger years, he had undoubtedly broken some unspoken rule he didn't know existed.

"I hear that Senator Denna made the journey to visit you yesterday," the Emperor said, finally breaking the silence.

Understanding came quickly. The senator must have been of use to his master.

"Yes, master."

"He hasn't been seen since."

For a brief moment, Vader considered throwing Mas Amedda under the proverbial sandcrawler, but it seemed unwise. He liked the idea of that particular bureaucrat being in his debt.

"He wasn't careful about where he chose to step," Vader said.

His master turned his chair back, peering at him over his steepled fingers.

"Really, Lord Vader. A senior representative of my capital world. What is wrong with the multitude of insignificant underlings you have on hand?"

"I did not realize he was of use to you, my master," Vader said. "I apologize."

"How do you imagine he rose to the position of Coruscant senator without being of use to me, Lord Vader?"

"I acted in haste without thinking, my master."

He shook his head in response. "What did the man do to cause you to forgo all reason in such a manner?"

Vader considered it. In truth, he did not remember all the details.

"He attempted to obtain my support for a corrupt proposal designed purely to line his own pockets."

"Yes, I did hear about the blaster damage in the Grand Vizier's office," the Emperor said. "In other words, he was behaving as all politicians do, and it offended your misguided sense of justice. You know, some days I wonder how exactly Kenobi survived all those years putting up with this." He waved a hand in his general direction.

Vader felt a flare of anger at the name Kenobi. His master didn't miss it.

"You clearly need to take some time away to work on your control. I have the perfect task for you."

Vader instantly imagined some boring assignment supervising irritating officers on a remote Imperial outpost and found himself dreading what the Emperor might say next. But he merely pressed a button on his desk, causing a map to appear.

"I recently discovered this map in the Jedi archives. Lygun. A secret world in an uncharted sector and apparently home to an ancient Sith retreat. You will go there. See what there is to find."

Well, he'd certainly had worse assignments in his career.

"Yes, master. What did the Jedi make of it?"

"The planet is surrounded by toxic clouds that make visiting the place impossible, unless one is an exceptionally talented Force-sensitive pilot."

Even more intriguing. How typical the Jedi archivists had never seen fit to share their knowledge of this place with him. It was probably forbidden, like so much of their hoarded information.

"Go, now. I will have the details sent to you. I will be occupied finding a new senator to replace the dearly departed Denna."

Vader hesitated for a brief moment, wondering if he should ask if his master had felt the recent disturbance in the Force. But perhaps he should be grateful he was getting off so lightly, and leave Coruscant as soon as possible.

* * *

Obi-Wan drew his hood tightly around his face as he entered the holo-communications booth. It was only partly to ensure his anonymity and mostly to try and block the disgusting smell, probably caused by the furry brown growth on the left-hand wall. It was hard to believe this was one of the better communication centers in Mos Eisley. One of the few that offered an encrypted channel.

He waited patiently for the call to connect, hoping the frequency had not been discontinued in the meantime. It was a long time since he last contacted this particular person.

When his blue image appeared on the viewer, he looked as regal and collected as always.

"Obi-Wan? Obi-Wan Kenobi! Is it really you, my old friend?"

"It is good to see you, Bail," Obi-Wan said. "However, I contact you under grave circumstances."

"Luke," Bail inferred. "Vader has found him?"

"Not Vader. A Force-user I'm not familiar with. He came in the night and murdered the Lars. Luke ran off into the desert and he was taken off world by the child protection administration. I've been fighting with the bureaucracy for days and they've finally given me the names of three places he could be. I'm leaving tonight to check their offices on Chootis and Inorix. I was hoping you could check the one on Coruscant."

"Coruscant? Of all the places—"

"I know, Bail, but time is short. I was hoping to find you on Coruscant already, but I see that is not so."

"I try and avoid the capital as much as I can, my friend. But I'll arrange for my office staff there to investigate immediately. If they find him, they can have him on a flight to Alderaan by nightfall."

"There is another complication."

Bail frowned with concern.

"The Lars murderer—he was a Jedi. Although, _used_ to be a Jedi would be a better description."

"An Inquisitor?"

"No. At least, he gave no indication he was. He was mired in the Dark Side, fueled by his anger towards the Sith. His target was Luke, not the Lars."

"But why go after Luke?"

"He knew he was Anakin's son."

Obi-Wan saw the fearful expression pass across Bail's face and knew he was thinking of his own daughter. "Does he know where Luke might be?"

Obi-Wan sighed. "I don't know. He disappeared after Luke left Tatooine, and I have not heard anything since. My inquiries have led nowhere. If he does, Luke is in even greater danger. And perhaps Leia as well."

"Would a former Jedi risk setting foot on Coruscant, though?" Bail asked. "Right under the nose of the Sith?"

"If desperate enough."

"I will send word to Coruscant immediately, Obi-Wan," Bail said. "If he's there, Luke _will_ be safe."

"I only hope it isn't too late," Obi-Wan said. "I fear that Vader would have sensed the boy's presence as soon as he entered the atmosphere."

To Obi-Wan's surprise, Bail smiled.

"Vader isn't on Coruscant, my friend. According to the Senate grapevine, he was sent away by the Emperor after he murdered Senator Denna—one of Palpatine's bootlickers, who was about to table a bill to rescind employee rights on all Imperial construction projects."

"At last, some good news."

"Thank the Force for small mercies," Bail said, with a grin.

* * *

Life at the Family Services center was as routine and ordered as Luke had ever known it. On Tatooine, he'd always thought of other planets as havens of excitement, full of spaceports and star pilots. Perhaps Coruscant was like his dreams, or perhaps it wasn't. Either way, he would never see it.

A day after he'd arrived at Family Services, he was shifted out of the incoming dormitory and into a smaller room clearly intended for a long-term stay. It was lined on either side with ten sets of 3-tier bunks. They were given three meals a day and security droids would arrive on every hour and escort groups out to the exercise yard. Although what they called a 'yard' was really just another room in a different part of the building. It didn't even have a window, but the walls were covered in projected holograms of the sky.

The room they lived in had a window, but it was only for those outside to look in. All the occupants saw was a reflection. Some of the younger children would entertain themselves by performing for imagined visitors behind the glass.

Luke wasn't interested in all that, however. All he wanted was to get out. Maybe the others were used to an institutional life, but he wanted to see the horizon. He couldn't verbally communicate his frustration though, so it had to find other outlets. He'd been dubbed 'the lock boy' by the others, due to the long hours he would spend picking at the drywall and studying the circuitry which connected the door lock to the controls on the other side.

Less than a week after he'd moved in, his claustrophobia had reached a new intensity. At lunch, he'd managed to swipe a fork, and now he was making the most of his new tool. It was after midnight, and the others had all drifted off to sleep, but he was still very much awake.

There was a small, round hole in the drywall, right above the main power fuse, which connected the lock mechanism to its power supply. It was pitch dark, and if he made a wrong move he could end up deep fried, but it was worth the risk. If only he could reach the darn wire.

He heard footsteps behind him and glanced over his shoulder. It was the Twi'lek girl who lived in the bunk underneath his. He had learned her name was Vallie.

"Are you _still_ at it? Stars, give it a rest, lock boy!"

Luke frowned and turned back to the task at hand.

"You sure are stubborn," she said, coming closer. She picked up a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Here. You must be freezing."

He accepted the blanket and tried to say thank you. There was still no sound out of him, though. The frustration of it caused him to concentrate harder on the wall. If only he could get out of here, maybe he could speak again.

There was a groan from the top of a nearby bunk, and a spiky-topped Zabrak boy raised his head from the pillow.

"Shut up, Val."

"It's not me!" she insisted. "It's Lock Boy."

"Lock Boy is talking? Yeah, right."

"No, he's still trying to bust out."

"Tell him to go to sleep!"

"I did. I think he's really lost it, Crix."

"Hang on. I'm coming." Crix yawned loudly and dropped down to the floor with a thump.

Luke didn't spare them a glance, though, because he knew he was getting close. Just a little bit more to the left ...

Something twanged inside the wall, and the little red light on the lock blinked once and then disappeared.

Luke turned back to Crix and Val with a wide grin. For all his inability to communicate, those two were the closest people he had to friends around here. They made sure he got his fair share at meals and prevented the bullies from getting too close to him. They watched out for all the newbies, but they'd taken a shine to him in particular, for some reason.

"What's he grinning about?" Crix said. "I think you're right, Val. He has lost it."

Just as Crix finished speaking, the doors suddenly slid into the walls, revealing the deserted corridor. To Luke, the sight made him joyous and frustrated at the same time. His joy made him want to shout in triumph, but as it had always been since Tatooine, his voice had other ideas.

"Val ..." Crix said, staring at the open doorway in shock.

"Stars! He's done it!"

"Quick," Crix said, suddenly moving into action. "I'll go get the blankets."

Val nodded. "And keep quiet," she whispered. "Don't wake anyone else."

Luke didn't need to collect anything from the space he'd made his own. All his possessions were already in his pockets. He entered the corridor and then paused. He may as well wait for the others. It might pay to have some company out there on this big, busy planet.

They soon joined him, and the group made their way towards the exit. All the staff droids were powered down, and the stormtroopers were on light patrol, meaning it was a simple manner to sneak past them without notice. A security barrier blocked the main entrance, but there was a small gap underneath. Not wide enough for an adult, but it wasn't too much trouble for Luke and his companions to hunker down against the floor and slither under it.

Then, they ran off into the night, soon leaving their prison far behind.

* * *

Luke was breathless after their escape. It took a lot of effort to get anywhere on Coruscant. This planet wasn't like Tatooine, where you could only move across the surface. Here, moving across-ways was difficult without an airspeeder, but moving up and down was simple. All of them had unanimously agreed that upwards was better than downwards, and so after an hour of traveling, they had set up a makeshift camp on top of the last building they had managed to reach.

Luke stretched out on his blanket, staring up at the glittering display which was the Coruscant night sky. There were endless lines of ships, criss-crossing, merging, and eventually traveling out of his field of vision. He wondered if the speeders ever crashed into each other and what would happen if they did.

"What are you thinking about, lock boy?" Val asked.

Luke looked up at her and pointed at the sky.

"Yeah, it is beautiful," she agreed.

"Maybe he was saying that he thinks it's going to rain," Crix said, smirking at Val.

"No he wasn't. I can understand him ... you've just got to look at his eyes."

Luke frowned to himself. He liked his new friends, but he wished they'd realize that just because he couldn't speak, that didn't mean he couldn't listen and understand. They talked about him like he wasn't there.

"What are we going to do now?" Val asked, after a moment of silence.

"I know what I'm doing," Crix said. "Looking for my father."

"Crix! No!"

"I don't care what you think. He's my father."

"No one who treated you and your step-sister like he did is your father. Besides, you said yourself he's probably on the other side of the galaxy by now."

"I'll find him, even if it takes me the rest of my life. They had no right to take me away from him!"

"Here we go," Val sighed. She glanced over at Luke. "I wonder if lock boy has parents."

"Sure he does," Crix said. "He probably got snatched away from them like me. How about that, lock boy? Do you have a father?"

Luke nodded. "Pilot," he said, absently.

He started at the sound of the word from his mouth and turned to meet Crix and Val's surprised gazes. "Pilot," he repeated, louder.

"So you _can_ talk, lock boy!" Val said. "Your father is a pilot?"

Luke hesitated. In those stories he told himself in his head, his father was a pilot. And they flew together, all over the galaxy. There had been a lot of those daydreams, recently. The best was the one where his father would arrive at Family Services and announce to everyone that he was here for his _son_.

"Don't strain him," Crix said. "This is probably like amnesia. Takes a while to come right."

"Strain? It was just a yes or no question."

Luke turned away, snuggling down into the insulating blanket. He was happy that he was able to speak again, but he felt like indulging in some of his long-lost father dreams right now. They'd be plenty of time for talking tomorrow. Judging by the snores he soon heard behind him, Crix and Val had come to the same conclusion.

Now where was he?

_I'm here for my son._

* * *

As a travel destination, Lygun had little going for it. Acid rain, poisonous water, stifling humidity, and a varied array of hostile wildlife that brought new meaning to survival of the fittest. Worst of all was the excessive amounts of sand.

The original owner of the retreat appeared as dedicated to misanthropy as she was to the Dark Side, and had secured the place with no end of elaborate traps. All of which Vader had easily disabled once he'd located the ancient power source. There was little of value inside. An ancient caretaker droid, long since rusted away, and a library full of paper texts, mostly dense tomes philosophizing on the nature of the Force and the Dark Side. The type of thing he had fallen asleep over as a young padawan.

Of more interest was a holographic map of the surrounding area. On the second day, he'd left the island where the retreat was located and explored a nearby network of underground caves, housing a meditation temple and a treasure trove of ancient artifacts. The temple might once have been an impressive thing, but now it was dank and littered with old bones. Lightsaber burns gouged the walls and floor, and upon touching one, Vader saw blurred visions of a Sith Lord fighting a girl. As it came into focus, he could see both women had the same braided black hair. _Daughter_...

He turned away, feeling a gnawing sensation in his chest. Old memories threatening to resurface. It was time to leave this unfortunate place before any more old ghosts resurfaced.

The sun was setting when he emerged from the cave, giving the dirt track a dull yellow appearance. Partway along the ridge, some fresh animal tracks crossed near a creek.

Vader had yet to catch sight of the monstrous creatures sitting unchallenged at the top of the food chain. The first explorers of the planet had dubbed them 'gargoyles'. Early Sith occupants of the retreat had obviously taken great pleasure in the sheer brutality of these creatures, as the log books were scattered with references to their single-minded killer instinct. One passage, which stood out in Vader's mind, described an eye-witness account of a parent and child fighting each other to the death. On success, the child subsequently devoured its own parent. Such was the level of aggression, that Vader found it hard to fathom how they managed to raise their young at all.

It wasn't difficult to see the relationship with the Sith. They, too, were powerful beings who accomplished their goals through aggressive means. One wrong move, and they, too, could end up fighting each other to the death. But in the meantime, the master had to train the apprentice, and the apprentice had to learn from the master, so it was better to avoid such confrontations.

A nearby yowl caused Vader's hand to move to his lightsaber. He moved around the side of a rock and saw the creature concerned. It was a greenish-skinned four-legged animal, scratched and bleeding. A predatory sea bird attacked it in a methodical fashion, while the creature twisted round and round in a losing battle to keep it away. One of its wings hung limply by its side, undoubtedly injured in a fight with one of its own kind.

It was somewhat humbling to see such a powerful creature taken down by something scarcely a quarter of its size. Vader wondered why the animal didn't run for cover. Its wing may be broken, but its legs looked healthy. Instead, it held its ground, becoming ever weaker. Vader was about to turn away and let nature run its course, when curiosity caused him to glance back, one last time.

It was a coincidence that Vader happened to look in the right direction, revealing the solution to this puzzle. Camouflaged among the reddish-toned rocks, was a gargoyle cub, barely the length of his arm. So, this dying creature was a mother protecting her young. That explained the irrational behavior. Vader stepped forward, seeking confirmation that this was indeed the situation, and the bird and the creature were not simply fighting each other for a meal.

His movement attracted the attention of the bird, who gave a loud squawk and flew for the sky. In the ensuing second, the gargoyle also noticed his presence and rushed at him. Vader held his lightsaber ready, but the creature turned away at the last minute, obviously not willing to move too far away from the hidden youngling.

Its wing was dragging roughly on the ground and its body was heaving with ragged breaths. Vader was not surprised when it keeled over, finally exhausted. It would be nothing but dust by tomorrow.

He walked around the body, curious about the cub. It was not just anyone who was given the opportunity to see one of these monsters up close. In all truth, he was probably the first. The young creature was equally curious. It squealed at the sight of him and shuffled out of its hiding place. Its wings were only bumps on its shoulders, but it waved them back and forth rapidly.

Vader lifted it with the Force, surprised at how skinny it was. Strange to think that this creature would soon be as deadly as its dying parent.

The youngling let out a raspy crying sound, having caught sight of its mother. Vader put it down, allowing it to shuffle across the gap between them. It crawled up on top of the body, continuing to bawl with agonized howls.

Vader felt his dormant temper begin to rise. He knew how that young creature felt, despite the vast physical differences between them. He could still remember that terrible day when he had stood over his own mother's body, unable to find any sense in her death. Anakin was dead and burned, but the anger and hatred remained. It would always remain. It was part of him, now.

A far deeper howl stirred Vader from his tortured memory, and he was surprised to see the adult gargoyle had managed to lift its head.

So, it wasn't quite dead after all.

* * *

Life on the 'streets' of Coruscant was a constant struggle. Val and Crix were quite open to stealing to get what they needed, but for Luke, it was a difficult transition. He preferred to make use of some of the charity organizations, which offered free food and shelter for street kids, but there was always a long, long queue. They were also operating under the law—living on the street was illegal on Coruscant, as Luke soon discovered. Stormtroopers patrolled the walkways, looking to round up anyone who appeared homeless.

Neither Val nor Crix could tell him what happened to the people the stormtroopers dragged away, but Luke had a fair idea what would happen to them if they were caught. Back they would go to the prison known as 'Imperial Family Services'.

His prediction was soon proven right. It had started much like any other day, with the three of them eating the last of yesterday's takings on the roof of a building. It was one of the lower buildings in the area, but the view was still incredible. They could see straight across the outskirts of an industrial area and into the glittering heart of Coruscant known as Imperial City. Even the air surrounding the affluent area was cleaner than elsewhere.

Luke sat in silence, taking it in, while leaving the chatter to Val and Crix. Val was reading an old flimsiplast news magazine, which they'd retrieved from a disposal unit in the hope of finding discarded food within. They'd been unlucky, but Val had still kept the magazine. She was always reading something.

"What do you think the Emperor does all day?" Val asked, pointing to a blurry picture of the galaxy's leader.

"I don't know." Crix picked at his food. "Sits around and gets waited on hand and foot. Isn't that what all the Imperial leaders do?"

"Then who runs the galaxy?"

Crix shrugged. "Droids?"

Val laughed. "If it was run by droids, it would be in a darn sight better condition that it is now."

"Which one is the Imperial Palace?" Luke asked, suddenly.

"The one with the five spires and the huge statue of the Emperor outside," Crix said, pointing.

"Why, Luke?" Val asked. "Dreaming of moving in?"

Crix sniggered. "Emperor Skywalker. How about it?"

"Can we go and see it up close?" Luke asked. "We could grab a free ride on the back of an airbus."

Val flicked a seed out of a piece of fruit and took a bite. "Why not? We've got nothing else to do today."

"I guess we might as well see the sights," Crix said, in a fake-posh accent. "While we're touring the galaxy."

"Maybe Palpatine will hear we're in the area and invite us to afternoon tea," Val suggested, in an equally affected voice.

"Who's Pal ... pal-pa-tine?" Luke asked, confused.

Val and Crix both chuckled. "You really are from the Outer Rim, aren't you, Luke?" Crix said. "Emperor Palpatine. He rules the galaxy?"

"We didn't get much news on Tatooine," Luke explained. "And my Uncle Owen hated news. He would always turn it off when I came in the room." Luke thought back, remembering. "I did know there was an Emperor, though," he insisted. "And an Empire."

"Well the two usually do go together," Crix said.

"Do you know who that is?" Val asked, holding up a page and pointing to a figure standing next to the Emperor.

Luke studied the person—he sure looked creepy, whoever he was. Dressed entirely in black, and his head was covered by a full helmet and mask.

"No," Luke said. He studied the person for another few seconds, thinking. "He looks familiar, though," Luke added.

"That's Darth Vader," Crix said, looking over Val's shoulder. "He hunted down and killed all the Jedi knights and he commands the entire navy."

Luke blinked at the picture, imagining what it would be like to have entire fleets of Star Destroyers at your command. "Why is he wearing that mask?" Luke asked.

"He always wears it," Crix explained. "Maybe he comes from a planet where they breathe a different sort of air."

"Or maybe he wears it so he doesn't have to smell you, Crix," Val said, shuffling away. "When was the last time you had a shower?"

"Zabraks don't need showers," he said. "Because we don't have hair." He ran his hand over his horns, to emphasize the point.

"What a lie!"

"Are we going to Imperial City or not?" Luke asked, impatiently.

* * *

Jumping on the back of an airbus was a dangerous and difficult task, which most people in their right mind wouldn't dream of attempting. But for Luke, it was one of the biggest thrills he'd ever had in his young life. Once they had risen into the air and were streaming through the Coruscant traffic, Luke felt like the king of the universe.

Val and Crix huddled down under one of the tail stabilizers, but Luke climbed right up high, enjoying the wind blowing through his hair.

"You two all right down there?" he yelled, as the bus swerved to avoid a merging speeder.

They answered him only with a shared look that said 'you're crazy!'. He laughed, knowing they were probably right and loving it.

Finally, the bus reached its destination, a landing pad or two away from the borders of Imperial City, and the three of them jumped off and ran for the elevators.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Val complained, as they reached an elevator. "We're walking on the way home."

"Walking? You can't walk anywhere on Coruscant," Luke said, pressing a button for a lower level. "I swear, this planet has no ground."

"You think all the buildings just meet up at the core?" Crix asked.

"Maybe."

The elevator doors made a hiss and then slid open, revealing a clean concrete sidewalk right outside.

"You spoke too soon, I think," Crix said, stepping out. "Of course they'd have walkways in Imperial City."

Luke joined Crix outside and gazed around. There was the odd stretch of sidewalk, but it was clear they'd simply built over more streets underneath, in order to achieve this effect of a surface.

"Where's the palace?" Val asked, joining them. "I've lost my sense of direction."

"That way," Luke said, pointing to Val's left. "Come on."

They took a few steps forward, before seeing a group of stormtroopers heading towards them. They quickly turned, only to see another one coming up behind.

Luke was about to run, when Crix held him back. "Steady, Luke. They're aiming their blasters—it's not worth your life."

"Show me your identification," the lead stormtrooper said. "All of you."

Luke swallowed as he stared up into the faceless mask. He wasn't so sure that Crix was right.

* * *


	3. LJ-151

"Well, I guess Imperial City was a bad idea," Crix said.

"No kidding," Val mumbled.

Luke didn't reply. He was staring numbly out the window of the airspeeder, watching hundreds of speeders streak by in the opposite direction. He'd give anything to be on one of them. The windows were shut tight, however, and the doors were locked. He was here to stay.

He glanced in front, where the stormtrooper pilot was maneuvering onto a landing pad. He recognized the place from the first time he'd arrived on Coruscant. He'd been so innocent then, of the fate that awaited him. Not so, this time.

The second stormtrooper stepped out of the speeder first and raised his blaster.

"Get out!"

"Can't he say please?" Val mumbled.

"That's not in their vocabulary," Crix replied. "Come on, Luke! Before they stun you."

Luke reluctantly dragged himself away from the window and found himself being pulled out of the speeder by the pilot stormtrooper. He was then pushed in front, and all three of them were escorted through the building, back to the IFS office.

Once there, they were handed over to the guards, who gave them all a thorough search. Luke was carrying the most of the three, with bits of wire and circuitry he'd collected during their time on the outside. It was all removed from his pockets, and swept into a bag.

After a short trip to the refresher, the guards took them down an unfamiliar corridor with strange lighting in the walls that made Luke feel anxious.

"Where do you think they're taking us?" Luke whispered.

"Back to the dormitories?" Val suggested.

"They're down the other end," Crix said. "We're heading for the offices."

Eventually, they stopped outside an office door marked 'Administrator'. One of the stormtroopers pressed the door-comm, and they waited for a response from within.

The doors soon slid open. Luke was surprised when he caught sight of the room. Unlike the rest of the building, it was spacious, well-lit and had several windows, overlooking the traffic lanes. It was also stacked high with datapads, all organized in neat little piles. There was a large display screen on the wall, showing a schedule of appointments over the next month.

A woman sat behind the desk, studying the computer screen and drinking a steaming beverage. The sign on the desk said 'Administrator Pel Larcy'.

A stormtrooper stepped forward to report.

"Administrator, we have recovered the children who went awol from room B7. What are your orders?"

She gave them a glance over the rim of her mug. Luke noticed she stared at him a bit longer than the others.

"What are their numbers?" she asked.

A second stormtrooper—there were three in total—held up a datapad and read from it. "12291, 12221, 15123."

"Take this," she said, passing a datapad to the lead trooper. "Sign it after you have transferred them to the high-security dorms and return it to the internal affairs desk."

Crix and Val seemed to flinch at the words, and Luke glanced at them curiously.

"Sir, there is only room for another two people in the high security rooms."

"Then transfer one out."

"Which one, sir?"

"Oh for star's sake." She slammed the mug down on the desktop. "Anyone. Can't you see I'm trying to file a tax return here?!"

The stormtroopers began herding them out. Just as Luke was nearing the door, she spoke again.

"Wait. Which was the one who broke the lock?"

Luke spoke up, suddenly seeing a chance to voice his misery. "I did! I hate it here!"

"Put that one in an isolation room," she replied, ignoring his plea. "And make sure the room is guarded at all times. We can't afford another break-out. I've got the precinct security office breathing down my neck already."

"Yes, sir."

Luke was held by the forearm as he was pushed towards the exit. The last thing he heard as they left the office was some reminder about filing transfer forms.

"Don't worry, Luke," Val said, seeing his distressed expression. "You'll get out of here again."

"I hate it here," Luke repeated.

"At least you're not going in the high-security rooms with all the pyromaniacs," Crix moaned.

"They're not all bad," Val insisted. "Once you get to know them."

"I don't want to get to know them! I want to go back to room B7. That was luxury."

They walked on in miserable silence for a few minutes, until one of the troopers behind them spoke.

"Will someone remind me how we ended up with the babysitting duty?"

"We'll be transferred soon," another trooper insisted.

"That's what they said last week. And the week before. I want out. I've had it with filling in her stupid forms. We were trained to be soldiers, not paper pushers."

Crix and Val exchanged amused glances at the trooper's whining, but Luke was too depressed to even smile. They reached a junction in the corridor, and the whining stormtrooper shifted forward to separate Val and Crix from Luke.

"We'll take these two." He gestured to the third trooper, and then to Luke. "You take that one. Then fill out the forms."

"I'm not filling out any forms!"

"Someone's got to do it."

The troopers stared at each other, at a stalemate.

"You know," Crix said, "if you just let us go ... none of you will have to do it."

"Yes we will," the whining trooper said. "We'll have to fill out 'notification of incompetent performance' forms."

"How about we fill in one form each?" the trooper next to Luke said.

"We need to complete four individual forms."

"Then we'll fill in one and one third of a form each."

"Done—meet you in twenty minutes."

Luke felt the trooper grab him by the shoulder, and he looked desperately at Val and Crix.

"If I make it out, I'll come for you," he insisted. "Watch for me!"

"Same here," Crix said. "Good luck."

With that, Crix and Val were taken away by the troopers, and Luke felt himself being pulled down the opposite corridor.

* * *

As soon as Obi-Wan saw Bail's expression on the other end of their encrypted holocom call, he knew it wasn't good news.

"Well?" Obi-Wan asked, struggling to keep his emotions under control. "Anything?"

"Not yet. I'm afraid the bureaucracy is proving … difficult. My agents have been told repeatedly to make appointments before they can even make enquiries after Luke. We're currently trying to locate the right person to bribe."

Obi-Wan made a noise of frustration. "Coruscant. Well, the staff on Inorix were helpful, at least. They spoke to the other children who confirmed Luke was still on board when the transport left. I'll go on to Chootis." He hesitated, and then added, "I have a strange feeling like I'm being followed."

"I'll send Captain Antilles to—"

Obi-Wan raised a hand. "No, my friend, that will only attract unwanted attention. I'll contact you again from Chootis. Keep up your efforts on Coruscant."

He disconnected the call before Bail could protest further.

* * *

"Kid?"

Luke felt someone prod him in the side. He didn't respond.

"Kid?! You still alive?"

He was prodded harder this time. Hard enough to hurt.

"Stop it," he mumbled, into the pillow. This was interrupting his attempt to dream about his father.

"What? Can't hear you."

Luke pulled the pillow over his head, hoping it would send out the right message. No such luck.

"Kid?"

He was prodded again.

"What is your problem?" Luke said, shifting the pillow away and looking up. A stormtrooper stood beside his bunk, staring at him with the blank helmet eyes he'd become so used to looking at.

"You haven't eaten anything. The trooper on watch before me said you didn't eat anything during his shift, either."

"So what?"

"So, you have to eat if you want to keep living. Basic rule of survival."

"I'm not hungry," Luke said, letting his head flop back onto the pillow.

"During training, I learned how to force feed a prisoner," the stormtrooper said. "Maybe I should test it out on you."

Luke shifted away in horror. "Go away! Aren't you supposed to be watching me from behind there?" Luke pointed to a glass window, behind which was a viewing area. Stormtroopers occupied it in shifts.

"Relax, I was only joking, kid."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Stormtroopers don't have a sense of humor."

"Maybe the others don't. I do."

"I thought you were clones," Luke said.

"We are. The others don't choose to develop their sense of humor."

"Well _yours_ needs a lot of work," Luke said. "Because force feeding people isn't funny."

"That wasn't my best material."

"Oh stars," Luke said. "Can you _please_ leave me alone?"

"Sure, kid. After you eat your food."

Luke eyed the plate, deciding it was probably worth it. He pulled it towards him and picked up the fork. Vegetables. Green ones, at that. He pushed them around in circles, wondering whether he could sneak them under his pillow.

"All right, I'm eating it," Luke said. "Can you go now, please?"

"After you take a bite."

Luke groaned.

"It's for your own good, kid. You're too skinny."

"I am not," Luke said. "And stop calling me 'kid'."

"What's your name, then?"

"What's yours?" Luke asked, unconsciously taking a mouthful of vegetables. He wasn't serious—he didn't think stormtroopers had names, but he was answered, nonetheless.

"LJ-151."

"151," Luke repeated. "That's the start of my IFS serial number."

"Coincidence, huh? Are your initials L and J?"

Luke smiled. "No. But close. My name is Luke Skywalker."

"So you _can_ smile. There was a bet going around the squad that you were permanently unhappy."

"What do you expect?" Luke said, gesturing at his surroundings.

"You wouldn't have to stay in here if you'd stop trying to break out. We could put you back with your friends."

"I _hate_ it here," Luke said.

"So do I, Luke. But you think living on the street is better? I've done street patrol. I know it's not pretty out there."

Luke took another few mouthfuls, thinking it over. LJ was right about life on the street, that was for sure, but it was still better than living in this world of boring routines and routine boredom.

"Why does anyone care if I break out? You wouldn't have to guard me anymore. You wouldn't have to feed me, or give me these ugly clothes."

"The Emperor doesn't want people living on the streets. It's disorderly and spreads disease."

"Who cares what the Emperor thinks?"

"I do," LJ said. "It's our duty to enforce his will."

Luke mashed his fork into the last remaining mound of vegetables, imagining the green mush was the Emperor. If he was Emperor, he'd let people live on the streets. He'd let people do whatever they wanted, as long as they weren't hurting anyone.

Eventually, he pushed the plate in LJ's direction and turned away.

"I've had enough."

"Better than nothing," LJ said. Luke heard him remove the plate and turn towards the door.

"My shift is ending," he said. "I'll be back to watch you late tonight."

"You're all the same to me," Luke said.

LJ didn't reply, but he did look back for a moment. Luke ignored him

* * *

Luke had eventually drifted off to sleep, half-hoping he wouldn't wake up until he was an adult and too old to stay here. The past week had felt like a year already. Several hours later, he was shaken awake by his stormtrooper watcher, with his own cries ringing in his ears.

"Luke?"

Luke blinked at the white helmet, feeling his heart beating rapidly in his chest. The stormtrooper moved towards the switches beside the door.

"No, don't turn on the—" Luke started, weakly. Too late. "Light." he groaned, shielding his eyes.

"Are you all right, Luke? Do you need to go to the medcenter?"

"It was just a nightmare," Luke said, still rubbing his eyes. "I'm not sick. And how do you know my ...?" He looked up at the stormtrooper. "Oh," he said, understanding. "It's you. LJ."

"LJ-151," LJ said. "There are a thousand LJs out there. I'm the only LJ-151."

Luke lay flat and turned sideways so he was facing the wall.

"I'm fine," he said, blankly. "You can go now."

"You don't look fine to me," LJ said. "You look like you're crying."

"I'm not," Luke said.

"Sure. Well, if you want to talk anyway ..."

"You don't quit, do you?" Luke said, sniffing.

"Quitting? What's that?"

Luke pulled the pillow over his head, hoping that would convince LJ to leave him be. He should have known better, though. Before long, the sensation of a blanket being draped over his body caused him to flinch.

"What the—? What are you _doing_?" Luke reared away.

"You lost this on the floor," LJ said. "Thought you might want it back."

"I don't need tucking in!" Luke yelled.

"What do you need, then?"

"I _need_ my aunt and uncle," Luke said, finally cracking. "Not you. You're a stormtrooper."

"You used to live with your aunt and uncle, huh?"

Luke nodded, wiping away a tear. "On Tatooine." He propped his head up on his elbow and fidgeted with the pillow fabric. "They're dead," he mumbled. "It's all my fault."

"You killed them?"

"No," Luke said. "Some stranger murdered them. But I could've saved them."

"How?"

"I could've fought him ... instead I was hiding in the garage." Luke thumped the pillow repeatedly. "Hiding in the garage like a cowardly Hutt-faced sleemo."

"Luke, you're a kid. You barely reach my chest. You think you'd be a match for some murderer? You'd have been killed too. Do you think your aunt and uncle would've wanted that?"

"But I could've done _something_! I bet my father would've known what to do. He'd have been ashamed of me."

Luke sniffed, imagining his father looking at him in disapproval. It was all he could see whenever he thought of the man lately. He could no longer take any pleasure in daydreams of flying around the galaxy with his father. What father could have adventures with a son who was too frightened to save his own aunt and uncle? That was a stretch of the imagination too big for even his overactive mind.

"Your father?" LJ said. "You're losing me. I thought you said you lived with your aunt and uncle."

"I did," Luke said. "My father died. I never knew him."

"Then how do you know he would have been ashamed of you? That's crazy."

"I don't know." Luke fidgeted with the bedclothes. "But I bet he was braver than me. Anyone would be."

"It sounds like you've had it pretty rough, buddy," LJ said, finally. "I know what that's like."

Luke was curious. "You do?"

"A year ago, I was stationed on the Hondero asteroid belt, and I had it all. A squad I'd trained with for so long, we could predict each other's movements without even thinking about it. We were unstoppable. We didn't know what the word 'failure' meant."

"What happened?"

"A pirate attack. They were all killed. I was the only one who survived. Then the powers that be thought I was too conditioned to work with another squad, so I was transferred to the light duty roster. See this is what they call 'light duty'."

"Do you miss them?" Luke asked. "Your squad, I mean."

"Every day."

"Does it ever stop hurting?" Luke asked. "Sometimes ... it hurts so much, I feel like I can't breathe."

"It hurts in different ways," LJ explained. "At first ... before it's settled in, it doesn't really hurt that much, because you just feel numb and shocked. Then the reality starts to settle in, and that's when it hurts the most. You may feel angry, guilty ... you wonder what you could have done to prevent it. But time can heal all wounds, buddy."

Luke nodded, feeling a little better. "Sorry I was mean to you," Luke mumbled.

"It's okay. You're sick of being in here, huh? I'll tell the administrator that you're suffering psychological stress, and she'll probably agree to have you transferred back in with your friends."

"You'd do that?" Luke said, almost feeling the urge to smile.

"Anytime, buddy."

"You know, LJ-151, you're not like the other stormtroopers," Luke said, lying back and stifling a yawn.

"That is the best thing anyone has ever said to me," LJ said, covering Luke with the discarded blanket.

* * *

Choontis had been a separatist planet during the Clone Wars, reliant as they were on their giant droid research and manufacturing industry. The capital city appeared even more prosperous now than it had then and going by the excessive display of Imperial flags, they were attempting to defend themselves from any economic interference by enforced patriotism. A droid was handing out flyers advertising the city's upcoming Empire Day parade at the intersection beside the Family Services office, and Obi-Wan didn't resist as one was pressed into his hand.

Another droid greeted him as he entered the office, floating up on repulsors to direct him to a service point on the side wall.

"Welcome to Imperial Family Services. My name is MQ-39, how may I help you this morning?"

Obi-Wan held up the small holo he'd retrieved from the Lars farm. Luke was a little younger in the image, but it was a clear picture of his face.

"I'm looking for this boy. I'm his uncle. He was possibly brought here by mistake from Tatooine during the last week, and his family wants him back."

The droid scanned the holo, and then said, "Interesting. You are the second person today claiming to be that boy's uncle. How many uncles does he have?"

Obi-Wan felt a cold sensation creep into his chest. "What did the other uncle look like?"

"Taller than you. Thin. From some type of sectoid species."

"Please tell me you didn't give him the boy!"

The droid shifted back at his tone and raised its hands.

"The boy isn't here. We did accept some Outer Rim children recently, and one confirmed this boy was still on the transport when it left. I believe you should find him on Coruscant. I'm afraid we don't have details as to the exact office and there are several thousand branches of—"

"Thank you," Obi-Wan said, forcing himself to calm his voice. He was already attracting the attention of the security droids. "You've been most helpful."

He walked slowly towards the door but began to run once he was back on the street.

* * *

"Morning, LJ-151," Luke yawned, noticing the stormtrooper walking carefully between the rows of bunks.

"How do you know it's me, kid?" LJ asked, looking down at him in surprise.

Luke thought about it for a moment. He couldn't really explain it himself ... he just _knew_ it was LJ.

"You wear your helmet on a certain angle," Luke suggested.

"Sure I do. Go back to sleep—it's not even 0700 yet."

"We woke at dawn back on the farm," Luke explained. "You had to get as much work done as possible, before the midday heat."

"Sounds like this planet of yours was a real sizzler."

"It was one big desert," Luke said, "and it had two suns. I couldn't wait to leave it. I just wish it hadn't been like this."

LJ nodded. "And speaking of places you can't wait to leave," he said, "I noticed you giving the laundry droid a once over during the duty rotation last night."

Luke shrugged. "I thought it might have needed fixing. I'm good at fixing droids."

"I don't doubt it. I don't doubt that you know how to sabotage them, too."

"Who me?" Luke said, with a careful mix of innocence and surprise.

"Yes _you_ , buddy. And you know where you're gonna end up if I see you doing that again, right?"

"Flying free as a bird?" Luke suggested, with a smirk.

"You wish." He gave Luke's hair a brief ruffle. "Now sleep—or fake it, at least. If you start running around, they'll all start waking up, and the early morning shift is the only peace and quiet I get."

Luke nodded. "Sure—but, ah, before that ... um ... can you take me to the refresher?"

LJ made a groan that was oddly distorted through his helmet.

"Hey, it's not my fault," Luke insisted.

"I know. Come on, then."

Luke crawled out of his top-bunk and followed LJ over to the main doors. Unlike his first dormitory, this new high-security one did not include refresher facilities. They had to be requested and then personally escorted when they were needed. Crix said it was due to vandalism. Still, even monitored refresher breaks were worth it to be back with his friends. He owed LJ for that.

Luke had initially thought a trip to the 'fresher would be the best time to attempt escape, but that idea soon faded when he saw how vigilant LJ was. Giving up didn't even occur to Luke, however—there was a weakness somewhere, he just had to find it. The laundry droid had been his latest idea, but LJ had caught on to that one a little too quickly for his liking.

It was a little frustrating, how perceptive his new friend could be, but Luke knew he wouldn't change the situation for anything. It felt good to know there was someone watching out for you, in this cold and dreary institution, even if they were watching out for you in ways you didn't want them too. If only he'd let him escape from this place, it might have been the perfect friendship.

He kept a firm hand on his shoulder, though, all the way to the refresher and again on the way back. Luke walked with his head bowed, staring at the floor, but he looked up when LJ's grip tightened slightly.

Ahead of them, a couple were being led down the adjacent corridor by a droid. LJ gestured for him to pause, and they waited until they were gone before they resumed their journey back to the dorm.

"Who were they?" Luke asked.

"A couple looking to adopt, I guess. Pretty early—maybe they thought you guys would look better while you were sleeping."

"Adoption?" Luke asked, surprised. "So kids really do get adopted from here?"

"Of course. What do you think those one-way windows are for?"

"So you guys could stare at us without us knowing about it."

"We can do that anyway."

"Do you think anyone would ever adopt me?" Luke asked, curious at the thought.

"Luke, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to adopt you. Heck, _I_ would adopt you if that was legal."

"I'm not sure I want to be," Luke said, waiting to one side as LJ took him through the dorm security doors.

"Why not? I thought you were desperate to get out of here."

"I am, but ..." Luke shuffled back up the bunk ladder, trying not to shake it too much. The occupants of the lower tiers were still asleep. At the top he crawled back under the blankets and looked back at LJ. "What if I ended up with some mean adults who hated me?"

"Wouldn't happen. They don't just let any person who comes in off the street adopt. They check them out for suitability and all that."

"But what if there was a perfect family who I really wanted to move in with, but they wouldn't let me because they said they were unsuitable? What then?"

"Then too bad."

"But what if—"

"You know, you sure ask a lot of questions for 0700," LJ said, pushing the pillow over Luke's face.

* * *

"There's no time to lose," Obi-Wan said, as soon as Bail answered the call. His sleepy expression suggested it was the middle of the night on Alderaan, but he appeared alert enough. "Luke is on Coruscant and this fallen Jedi knows it. He has a head start. I must go there immediately."

"To Coruscant? But what if—"

"I must go, Bail. Can you help me?"

His friend looked distant for a moment, clearly remembering another time Obi-Wan had returned to Coruscant under grave circumstances. The inherent danger in existing as a Jedi on that world had only increased exponentially since.

"I will come now in the Tantive IV to pick you up."

"No, my friend, you must stay there and watch after young Leia. I still have friends on Coruscant." He smiled in a sad way. "I used to live there."

* * *

"Do you mind?" Crix said, leaning over the top of his bunk.

"Mind what?" Luke asked, turning to pace through another cycle.

"He's been like this all morning," Val said, jumping gracefully to the floor. She stopped Luke at the top of his pacing length and forced him to sit on the bunk below Crix's.

"I can't help it," Luke said, rubbing his head. "I just feel like something is going to happen, that's all. Something big."

Crix leaned over further, giving Luke a good view of his upside down spiky head.

"You mean you've thought of a new plan for getting out of here?" Crix asked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

Luke glanced up and down the length of the dorm, making sure LJ wasn't on duty. They were safe for the moment.

"I checked out the laundry droid. It would be possible to sabotage it so it would return during the early hours of the morning. I'll be awake … I always am then. There's one problem, though."

"Go on," Val said, sitting beside him.

"There is still one stormtrooper on guard duty from 0100. I haven't figured out how to get him out of the room."

"No problem," Val said, immediately. "I'll get him to take me to the refresher. You two get out. Then, once you're on the outside, you can come up with another plan to rescue me."

"No way," Crix said, teetering under the effect of gravity.

"Don't talk like you're the boss of me," Val snapped.

"I'm not going to leave you behind to rot in here!"

Luke rolled his eyes. He didn't quite understand the relationship between his two friends. Some days they weren't even speaking and other days they could pass for overprotective siblings.

"Can you keep it down?" Luke said. "Okay, here's an idea. The laundry droid will come back tomorrow night as well. We can distract the stormtrooper guard by throwing something at the window. Then you can escape."

"Fine, it's settled then," Val said, standing up.

Crix looked distant for a moment, before pulling himself up and out of sight.

* * *

An opportunity for sabotage arose later that afternoon, when a laundry droid visit happened to coincide with the absence of LJ from dormitory patrol duty. The laundry droids were programmed to travel around the room, picking up all provided red bags and placing them in a cart. Most of the residents ignored them—except those who had forgotten to put their laundry in the red bags. They ended up chasing after the droid and trying to fool it to do an extra pickup.

This time, however, the droid made a longer than normal stop at the foot of Luke's bunk. Crix and Val provided the perfect distraction by starting a pillow fight in the opposite corner. Once Luke had completed his adjustments to the droid's internal clock, he gave them a signal. Now all they had to do was wait and see if this was going to pay off.

The other two drifted off to sleep immediately, but it took Luke longer than normal. The thought that this might be his last night in this place was making his mind buzz. Freedom could only be a few hours away.

He must have drifted off eventually, because the next thing he knew, it was two am and the main doors hissed open. Luke reached under his pillow for the end of a length of string. The other end was tied to one of Val's head appendages, and she had assured him that a single tug would wake her.

It took her a few seconds to come around, but she performed her part without a hitch. The lone stormtrooper on guard duty escorted her out without a question. Clearly he wasn't aware that laundry droids never visited the dorms at night.

Luke jumped to the floor lightly and then climbed up to wake Crix. His eyes were already open, though.

"Ready?" Luke said.

Crix began to sit up, then stopped. "Listen, you go without me. We'll both join you tomorrow."

"What?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't leave her behind! What if she gets blamed for our absence, and they shipped her off to some youth prison, or—"

"Crix, I—"

"Go," Crix repeated, pointing to the droid. It had nearly finished its run. "You need your freedom more than us."

"I'll come back for you tomorrow," Luke said. "I swear. Watch out for me—it will be soon."

"I will."

Luke picked up his bag and ran for the door. Something was telling him that this was the right thing to do.

It wasn't until much later that Luke discovered why.

* * *


	4. Jedi Attack

It had been a simple distraction, at the time. An idle way to pass some hours until he returned to civilization. Controlling an animal was a specialized and useful skill for any Force user, and it was rare to get the chance to practice on such aggressive creatures as the two gargoyles. But before Vader knew it, the Force was no longer needed to tame these animals, and they appeared to have decided he was their new master.

It appealed to him, on some level. It was only fitting that a Sith Lord should have a pair of monsters as his devoted pets. But he had also discovered that these creatures were somewhat undeserving of their infamous reputation. They were aggressive, certainly, and they were carnivores. But the parent and child displayed a devotion to each other of an intensity he had never seen in a non-sentient animal.

And they weren't mother and child, as he had first assumed, but father and son.

The father was nothing short of doting. He refused to eat anything until he had seen that his son had eaten first. He became flustered and upset if his offspring wasn't in his immediate vicinity and would spend long hours grooming and cleaning his cub, despite his weak condition.

The son was curious and playful, wanting to explore every millimeter of the retreat. Vader discovered him in the strangest of places. In cupboards, under chairs. Even stuck in his ship's engine, on one memorable occasion. The cub was too adventurous for his own good, appearing unaware that his wings were still only buds. It was good that his parent kept a tight rein on him, or it was unlikely he would live to see his first set of fangs.

It wasn't long before the adult had regained partial use of his wing and resumed hunting to provide for both himself and his cub. Vader expected the pair to move on and return to the wild where they belonged. They had other ideas, however. Ideas which involved spending most of their waking hours sleeping in his ship.

Earlier that morning he'd finally relented and given them names. The adult had a greenish sheen to its thick hide, whereas the youngling was a brownish-red. Seeing as the pair were nearly inseparable, the names 'Fode' and 'Beed' seemed to suit, after a two-headed podrace announcer his former self had known in his youth.

The two of them were currently asleep in the back compartment of the ship, near the onboard hyperbaric chamber, while he sat in the pilot's seat and attempted to use the ship's computer to repair a damaged volume of the first resident's logs. Despite himself, he was still curious about what he'd seen in the damaged temple, and he wanted to know more about her fate. The history of the Sith was often one of tragedy and hubris and his own master often warned him to be mindful of the fates that befell their forebears.

His task was interrupted by an urgent beeping coming from the communications array. Behind him, a tail thumped on the deck in annoyance and Fode pricked up his ears and made a squeaking noise. Vader hastily stood up to answer it.

A blue image of his master appeared on the projector, filling the small space.

"Lord Vader. How goes your work on Lygun?"

Vader glanced sideways at the animals, glad they weren't in view of the holo field.

"Well, Master. I have made some interesting discoveries."

"I look forward to hearing about them. But now you must return to Coruscant immediately."

Vader felt the Force tremor at his master's next words.

"It seems we have another Jedi on the loose."

* * *

At first, Luke had not regretted his decision to leave IFS without Crix and Val. But it didn't take long to change his mind. He hadn't been prepared for the loneliness he would feel, alone in the vast city without a friend. People pushed past him without giving him so much as a glance. He was hungry, too, and the shelter they used to visit for food appeared to have been closed down by the Empire. He didn't know where to look for another one. He was wary of straying too far into the lower levels, as they were filled with gangs and violence.

If it were up to him, he would find a spaceport and try and stow away on a ship. Any planet had to be more friendly than this place. He'd even prefer Tatooine. But he couldn't leave Crix and Val behind. Not after he'd promised he'd come back that night.

Feeling exhausted after the excitement of his escape, he eventually made his way to an isolated spot on the roof of a lower building and fell asleep on top of a pile of old newsfaxes. Much later that afternoon, he found himself being shaken awake by a gloved hand. His defensive instincts caused him to jump up and raise his arms to fight, but he paused when he found himself staring at a pair of shiny white boots. His only hope with a stormtrooper would be to stall until he let his guard down and then run for his life.

"Luke!"

Luke looked up in surprise. There was only one stormtrooper who knew his name.

"LJ? What ... what are you doing here?"

LJ gestured around. "Seeing the sights. Experiencing the culture. Yourself?"

Luke frowned. "How did you know where to find me?"

"Your friends told me."

"I don't believe you!" Luke said, shaking his head in disbelief. "They would never betray me!"

LJ stepped closer. His blaster remained holstered, but the sentiment was clear enough. Unfortunately, Luke had pressed himself into a three-sided gap to shield himself from the wind, and now the fourth side was blocked by LJ.

"I'm not coming back with you!"

"You want to live here?" LJ gestured around at the permacrete wasteland. "This is no five-star hotel, kid."

"It's no prison, either," Luke countered.

"I'm not going to stand here and argue with you. If you won't come quietly, I'll stun you."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Go ahead, then," Luke said, smirking and folding his arms.

LJ's hand moved to his belt, and for a second, Luke thought he was really going to do it. He raised his hands in protest and then found his left wrist locked in a pair of binders. LJ snapped the other side onto his own wrist, leaving no possibility for Luke's escape.

"You're brave," LJ said. "I'll give you that."

Luke pulled on the binders, but he was no match for LJ's strength.

"Not fair," Luke said, sulking.

"Are you going to bring your stuff?"

Luke bent down to pick up his sack and allowed LJ to pull him away. He dragged him across the vast expanse of the roof, until they reached a small utility speeder, parked along one edge. Luke was made to crawl in across the pilot's seat, so both of them could get in without having to undo the binders.

"You missed some big excitement last night, buddy," LJ said, starting the engine.

Luke wasn't interested in friendly conversation. LJ hadn't bothered to undo the binders, which meant his hand was being uncomfortably pulled around while LJ operated the speeder controls.

"Who cares?"

"I do. I got to report to Lord Vader. _The_ Lord Vader, himself. _Me_ , LJ-151, reporting to the second in command of the Empire."

"Darth Vader was at Family Services?" Luke said, with a smirk. "I'm not that gullible."

LJ lifted the speeder into the air, and they joined one of the main traffic flows.

"That's what happens if you leave," he said. "You miss out on all the action. For your information, he _was_ there—we had a break-in. I was stationed on corridor guard at the time and next thing I look up and there's a guy with a laser sword trying to get into one of the dorms. I tried to shoot him, but the bolt just bounced right off his sword."

"So Darth Vader was there, and a laser sword wielding person attacked Family Services?" Luke said, wondering if LJ had finally gone crazy, or whether this joke had a punchline.

"No, Lord Vader didn't show until much later. The Jedi—although, it may not have been a Jedi—took off. Then we called the city guard for backup and it went all the way to the Emperor and next thing Lord Vader is there, and I had to make a report about what I saw. I'm never going to complain about being assigned to light duty again."

Luke shook his head, still not knowing what to make of this.

"And speaking of Jedi ... did you hear the one about the Jedi who couldn't vacuum his sofa?"

"I don't want to," Luke said.

"He had no attachments, see."

"I don't get it."

"Jedi ... no attachments? And you need attachments on a vacuum to clean your sofa?"

"Is there a point to that, or is it just another of your stupid jokes?" Luke asked.

"Ah, your generation ... you know nothing about Jedi."

"I do so," Luke said. "They used to tell those old stories on Tatooine, too. About people who could move things with their mind and know what was going to happen before it did and ... but my uncle said those were just old stories, and no one could really do all that. Why do you think this person was a Jedi, anyhow?"

"Because of his laser sword. Jedi have laser swords ... at least, they did. Some say the Jedi are all dead now, but maybe there's one or two still out there. Anyway, after he had left, I was going through the dorms making sure no one was hurt or missing. Guess what? Your bed was empty."

"So you told everyone I'd been kidnapped by a Jedi?"

"No. Because your friends explained that you'd left two hours earlier. I had a good rant at them over letting you out here on your own, and I guess they must have taken some of what I said to heart. They told me I might find you here."

"I was doing fine!" Luke insisted.

"Yeah. I guess you might have lasted for another three days."

LJ turned out of the traffic lane, causing Luke to be pulled towards him.

"Ouch!" Luke complained.

"Sorry. I'll let you out of those soon."

"I think I'd have preferred it if you'd stunned me."

"Yeah, but it might have looked a bit heartless, you know? A stormtrooper dragging a stunned kid around ... that's the kind of thing which ends up all over the underground HoloNet."

"Since when did you ever care about looking heartless?" Luke asked. "And can you let me out of them now?" They had touched down on the landing pad.

"Once we get inside," LJ said.

Luke was surprised at how many extra troops were stationed throughout the building. There were two on every corner and teams of them marching around in formation. It seemed LJ had told the truth, after all. But why would someone attack Family Services? Someone with a laser sword ...

The connection hit Luke just as he and LJ entered the wing where IFS was situated.

"LJ!" Luke said, coming to a halt. "I can't go back!"

"Yeah, yeah," LJ mumbled, not pausing.

"No, I mean it!" Luke said, struggling to resist. "I know why that person attacked last night!"

"Sure."

"I'm serious! Was he really thin and dressed in black robes that covered his face? Was his laser sword red?"

"Yes, come to think of it."

"That's the person who murdered my aunt and uncle! He was looking for me!"

LJ stopped, finally giving Luke some attention.

"I can't go back!" Luke said. "Now he knows where I am!"

"Luke, if anyone is trying to kill you, the safest place you could possibly be is in the facility. We've got the place staked out like a fortress right now. And besides, didn't you tell me this planet of yours is in the Outer Rim? How is anyone from there going to find you here?"

"But how many people in the galaxy wear black and carry a red laser sword?"

"Lots. It's probably the newest look. I might look into it myself."

"This isn't funny, LJ. Name one other person."

"Lord Vader."

"He has a red laser sword?" Luke asked, curiously.

"Yes. Besides, the Emperor swore they'd catch this Jedi who attacked us before nightfall. Lord Vader has captured hundreds of Jedi—this one won't get past him."

"I hope you're right," Luke mumbled.

Once they passed through the main doors, Luke saw what LJ meant about turning the place into a fortress. There were droid guards as well as stormtroopers now, and every person entering was being screened for weapons.

LJ released him from the binders and then kept a hand on his shoulder as he guided him through the mass of security personnel and confused visitors. Eventually they came to a stop outside the main offices, and Luke looked up in confusion.

"I thought you were taking me to the decontamination showers."

"I am. I need to get some forms first. The supplies in our barracks have run out."

Luke looked down at his dust-stained clothes. "I'll wait out here."

LJ didn't release him as he walked through the doors. "Nice try, buddy. Don't worry—they've seen worse."

They walked down the length of the cubicles, which were divided up into even squares, four on each side of the room. At the top was the closed door of the administrator's office. Beside it was a rack holding stacks of forms. There were at least a hundred different varieties.

LJ crouched down on one knee as he scanned the rows of forms, occasionally flicking through them.

"What is the name of it?" Luke asked, growing impatient.

"Regulation 45b, subsection 7, clause 89. They used to be pink, but I think she's changed the colors around again. She loves doing that."

"Ask her," Luke said, pointing at the office door.

"Are you kidding? I'm not disturbing the administrator over the color of a form. She'll make me get her coffee."

Luke grumbled under his breath and bent down to help LJ search. Within a minute, they had forms mixed up and scattered all over the floor, and LJ's normally unshakeable good temper was beginning to crack.

"Curse the administrator and all her hellbound forms!"

"Let's just forget it," Luke said, hastily.

"I can't forget it. If I don't file that form, she'll go crazy."

"She's already crazy. You won't notice the difference."

Approaching footsteps caused them both to look up in curiosity. It was BB-675, the protocol droid who worked at the reception desk. He was followed by a man dressed in elaborate robes and holding an official-looking black briefcase.

BB-675 turned his photo-receptors on them, looking about as distasteful as a protocol droid could look.

"You better clean up that mess and get that child out of here," the droid said. "The administrator will not be pleased."

"Shut your trap, droid," LJ said.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't."

The man was watching this exchange with an expression of vague impatience, until he noticed Luke. Luke met his gaze for a moment and then looked down, hastily stacking forms back into the rack. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't like the way the man was looking at him.

Suddenly, the office door opened, and the administrator stepped out, looking like she was suffering from form withdrawal.

"Is there a conference scheduled that I wasn't informed about?" she snapped. "If not, then move away from my office."

BB didn't let her tone affect him.

"Administrator, may I present the right honorable Senator Lerrod."

The senator stepped forward to shake hands, but the administrator didn't accept the offer.

"Did you have an appointment with me, Senator?"

"I do now."

"No, I'm afraid you don't. I have memorized my appointment schedule, and you are not on it."

"Now I am," the senator insisted. "I must speak with you. It's important."

"If it was important, you should have made an appointment three weeks in advance, as per regulation."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" the senator said, now appearing rattled. "I am the newly appointed representative of Coruscant in the Galactic Senate."

"And I am the administrator of the 507th branch of Imperial Family Services. Come back when you've made an appointment."

The administrator made to go back into her office, but the senator stepped forward.

"Wait. Perhaps you would be willing to speak with me if I offered you a little salary bonus. Would three hundred credits be sufficient?"

"Three hundred will get you ... oh, let me think ... three minutes of my time."

"Three minutes is all I need," the senator said, hastily activating a credit tab.

Luke blinked in surprise, wondering whether he was supposed to be watching this. The administrator hadn't appeared to have noticed him and LJ.

"Very well. What do you want?" the administrator said, pocketing the credit tab.

"A child. Just temporarily."

"Uh huh." She leaned against the door frame, folding her arms. "You can collect the forms from the reception desk. First, there will be an evaluation to determine if you are suitable to care for a child ... that will take six months at minimum. Then, if all goes well, you can arrange a time to come in and inspect the children. After you have made a selection, the child will be released into your care after a two week stand down period, while we process the clearance forms."

"Perhaps I should rephrase," the senator said. "I need a child _now_. I want to take one home with me today."

"Do you think we are some kind of library that lends out children instead of books, Senator?"

"I'll give you six thousand."

"Six thousand might just convince me to allow you to have a look at the children—"

"I don't need to look," the senator said. He pointed a gloved finger at Luke. "That one there is fine."

Luke jumped behind LJ, suddenly frightened. He didn't want to go anywhere with this man.

The administrator glanced at them, finally noticing LJ.

"What are you doing here, Stormtrooper?" she demanded, annoyed.

"Excuse me, I just paid for three minutes of your time," the senator said, holding up a hand between the administrator and LJ. "Now do we have a deal? I'll make it ten thousand in exchange for this child for three months."

Luke looked at the administrator's face, clinging to LJ's arm like it was a lifeline.

"That one is a troublemaker," she said. Her voice sounded slightly less disinterested, though. "He's broken out twice."

"Then let me take him off your hands. This facility has attracted enough controversy without him causing you trouble. I'm sure you have more important things to do than mind delinquent children."

She was cracking. Luke sensed with increasing horror that she was on the verge of saying yes.

"What do you want a child for, anyway?" she asked, finally. "If you are intending to place this child in danger, then—"

"Of course not. I simply require an orphaned child to participate in my political campaign. He'll live with my family and be cared for as if he were my own son."

The administrator took one last glance at Luke.

"Twenty thousand," she said, finally. "And he's yours. For three months."

"Done."

Luke watched the senator write another credit tab, feeling his head begin to spin. A political campaign? What did that mean? Where was he going to be taken?

"Stormtrooper, go and get this boy ready to leave," she said. "I'll complete the paperwork for you, Senator."

LJ saluted and started to pull Luke towards the doors, holding his sack in his other hand. Luke struggled against LJ's hold, looking around desperately for something solid he could latch himself to. Once in the corridor, Luke finally stopped resisting, as it wasn't doing much good.

"LJ, I don't want to go with him," Luke said, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

"I know you don't, Luke, but you don't have a choice. Besides, it's only for three months."

"What's a political campaign?"

"I don't know. But he's a senator—that means he'll live in a big house in the middle of Imperial City. You'll like it there."

LJ had that tone adults sometimes used when they knew they were lying through their teeth but were trying to make you feel better about something terrible.

"Now, do you want to come and say goodbye to your friends?"

Luke nodded, feeling like he was in a dream. LJ took him down to the high-security dorm, and as soon as he opened the doors, Crix and Val came running. Val arrived first, and threw her arms around him.

"Luke, you're safe!"

"Did you hear about what happened?" Crix said.

Luke didn't answer, feeling an old echo of his speechless days returning.

"What's happening, Luke?" Crix asked, sounding worried.

"Are you going back into isolation?" Val asked.

Luke shook his head, unable to tell them, for fear of breaking down into tears.

"He's going to stay with a senator for three months," LJ explained.

"Adopted?"

"No. Just for three months."

"Wow, Luke, a senator!" Crix said. "You'll get to see Imperial City."

Luke looked over at his bunk, suddenly wishing he could crawl into it.

"You don't want to go?" Val said, looking at Luke with concern.

"Come on," LJ said. "Say goodbye to your friends now, Luke. You'll see them again."

"Yeah," Crix said, slapping him on the back. "We'll find each other. Somehow."

"I'll miss you," Val said, hugging him.

Luke hugged her back, suddenly realizing how much these two had come to mean to him. Now he might never see them again.

"I'll never forget you," Luke mumbled.

The saddest part came a short time later, when they reached the landing pad where Senator Lerrod and his chauffeur stood waiting by a speeder. The administrator was nowhere to be seen.

"Goodbye, Luke," LJ said, ruffling his hair. "See you in three months."

Luke looked up at his friend, his eyes wet with unshed tears and then suddenly wrapped his arms around the stormtrooper, as far as they could reach. Then the tears began to fall, and LJ bent down to return the embrace as much as his armor could allow.

"I'll m-miss you," Luke sniffed.

"No you won't," LJ said. "You'll be having too much fun living among the rich and famous."

Luke hugged tighter, shaking his head in denial.

The goodbye was brought to an abrupt end when the senator's patience ran out. "Oh, for stars sake, it's just a stormtrooper, kid," he said, pulling Luke away by the back of his tunic. "There's one just like it who guards the overpass outside my home. You can make friends with him." He threw his sack in after him.

Luke didn't stop looking back until they'd left the landing pad far behind.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time Vader walked into the Emperor's main office in the spires of the Imperial Palace. Mere hours before the deadline given to the Coruscant security forces to locate this rogue Jedi and bring him or her to immediate justice. His master's casual air as he watched a security holo indicated he wasn't overly concerned.

"Lord Vader," he said, warmly. "You have an update for me?"

"Master, I have flown over the entire region myself and sent messages to all our underworld contacts in the lower levels. All leads have yielded nothing." He struggled to keep his tone even. "The Force is clouded."

"No matter. I have tasked the Grand Vizier with supervising the execution of a stand-in this evening. That will placate the public. This enemy may yet show himself again of his own accord and you can deal with him then. I have been informed that none of the children in the facility were taken."

"No, master. I have ordered a blood test on all the residents to determine if any have potential to be trained in the ways of the Force."

"A good idea," the Emperor said, entwining his fingers as he leaned back. "You should extend the investigation to neighbouring facilities as well. Perhaps there is some illegitimate son or daughter of a Jedi the enemy was attempting to retrieve."

"Perhaps," Vader agreed. "They were foolish to attempt such a thing."

"Continuing a fine tradition for the Jedi," the Emperor said. "Now tell me. How was your time away? Did you find anything of note on Lygun?"

Vader considered his answer. In all truth, he hadn't accomplished anything of note after becoming distracted with the gargoyles, who had not been impressed to be abruptly removed from his ship and abandoned. It was for the best. Life on Mustafar would not have agreed with them. But that was hardly something to tell the Emperor.

"It was a hostile place. The former resident seemed to appreciate her solitude."

"Ah. Like another Sith Lord I know," the Emperor said. "But you must remain here for the time being. I sense turmoil in the Force."

"I have also felt it," Vader said. "This Jedi is to blame."

"Perhaps. But perhaps there is more. You must meditate, my friend. Together, we may learn more about what the future holds."

"Yes, Master."

Vader turned to leave, but the Emperor spoke again.

"And of course I know you will have remembered Empire Day. It will be a good opportunity for you to meet the new acting senator who has been temporarily appointed to fill the vacancy. Lerrod is his name. He was the late senator's closest advisor and protégé. I trust you will make an effort to ensure this one stays alive. Until the next election, at least."

Vader considered suggesting that the new Senator Lerrod take care to stay on his good side, but he doubted the Emperor would sympathize.

"I sense that he will be easy to control," the Emperor continued. "If he proves himself, I will allow him to remain in the position for as long as he manages to stay alive. I've noticed that the job seems to have a high fatality rate."

* * *


	5. A Senator's Home

LJ had been right about the senator's home. Luke could hardly believe the sprawling structure, with its statues, gardens, and views across Imperial City, could possibly house just one family. Every resident of Anchorhead could have lived there with room to spare. As they came into land, Luke stared through the glass walls at a series of swimming pools linked by waterfalls. They used to tell stories on Tatooine about rich people on other worlds treating water like it was as common as sand.

The chauffeur came around to open the senator's door. As soon as he stepped out, he swore loudly and began pleading with someone out of sight. Luke tried the door on his own side, and found it was locked, so he shuffled over into the front so he could climb out behind the senator. The chauffeur immediately began to pull him off to the side, but Luke resisted, wanting to see what was going on.

"Sugarbun, please, let's just talk about this and not make any hasty decisions."

He reached out to hold the door open on the neighbouring speeder. There was a woman in the pilot's seat. She shoved his hand away and then shut the speeder door with a bang. A moment later, the senator was pushed back by the blast of its engine as it shot off into the sky.

A protocol droid approached then, carrying a comlink.

"Master Lerrod, your wife said to inform you she was going to her sister's," the droid said. "And your son's school left a message. They want to arrange a meeting to discuss some complaints."

"For star's sake, what do I have to pay to keep everyone happy around here!" He began to walk away and then glanced back, seeming to remember Luke was there.

"Come on, boy. I'll show you to your room."

Luke followed after him, imagining some master suite beside a garden. Instead, they entered an elevator and the senator pressed the button for the lowest floor.

"You'll have to stay down here," the senator explained. "Sorry about that. But my son—Chilee—he's going through a difficult transition right now and he wasn't happy with the idea of your presence here. I had to agree to make sure you slept down here."

"I don't mind, sir," Luke mumbled. He didn't bother to add that even the supposed basement level of the senator's home was a hundred times more luxurious than any home he'd visited on Tatooine. Or the Family Services centre.

"He actually wanted me to put you in with his pets!" the senator said, laughing. "You'd be best to stay out of his way. I'll have a droid bring your meals down. If you need anything else ... databooks, perhaps, just tell a droid."

Luke nodded. When the elevator doors opened, and he was led across to a nearby door, he found his new room was small but comfortable. At least there was no lock.

The senator started to leave, but Luke spoke up.

"Sir—what's a political campaign?"

"It is a show a politician must perform for the public in order to get votes."

"Oh. Um ... why do you need me for that?"

"You'll see when the time comes."

Luke watched him enter the elevator and then looked back at his room. It looked as if it had been furnished in a big hurry. The bed was of the portable, folding variety and wasn't made. Pillows and sheets were stacked at one end. He rummaged in his sack for his T-16 and put it on the side table, and then stepped back to admire it. For all the bareness of the room, the T-16 made it seem a little like home.

Luke turned to set about making the bed. He'd only got as far as shaking out the first sheet, though, when a distant roar caused him to jump in fright. He looked around, half expecting a Krayt dragon to come stomping down the hallway.

Perhaps he should go and investigate the mentioned pets. Luke followed the source of the sound, which led to a door along the corridor and opposite his new room. Luke hovered his finger in front of the door release. There was no warning notice, though, and surely if the senator was keeping some dangerous animals in a private zoo, he would have mentioned it. Luke did take care to step back as he opened the doors, however.

When he looked around the edge of the door, Luke gasped in surprise and horror. The first cage housed the source of the roar he'd heard earlier, but behind the bars was a person, not a pet. A Wookiee. He favoured Luke with another chest-shaking vocalization.

In the cage next to him was a furry, short creature with round black eyes. It snuffled at Luke as he came closer, and pressed its face against the bars. There was a note stuck on its cage reading 'the Ewok is allergic to dairy products'. The third and final cage held a spherical green ball, about the size of the Ewok's head. Luke assumed it was alive, but it could just be a cleaning sponge. Or perhaps a rare species of fungus.

The thought that he could easily have been occupying that last cage made him feel sick. He had to find a way to get a message to LJ. There was no way this could be legal.

* * *

"That's not him," Obi-Wan said, wearily.

Captain Antilles frowned, leaning closer to the news holo. "You're sure."

"Yes."

He didn't bother listing all the reasons why. They were obvious to anyone who knew the first thing about Jedi, never mind someone who had actually met the man the Empire was supposedly executing. They only had two stormtroopers guarding him as they led him out to the square in front of the senate.

"I wouldn't recommend going there," the captain said, turning off the HoloNet terminal. "The entire block is locked down. Vader has been seen in the vicinity. They won't tolerate any disruption to the Empire Day celebrations."

Obi-Wan felt a cold ripple in the Force at the sound of the name. Vader. Who had chosen that? Was it something the Sith Lord who now fancied himself as Emperor had spent years thinking up, while he'd manipulated and groomed young Anakin into becoming his apprentice?

He'd die before he'd let Sidious do the same thing to Luke.

The door chime broke the silence, and Captain Antilles walked over to open it. A woman wearing a simple white uniform entered at his invitation.

"Master Kenobi, this is Agent Gwen Bass, a member of the Alderaan secret service," he explained.

Agent Bass nodded in response to Obi-Wan's greeting bow. "Sirs, our droid successfully sliced into the IFS network." She held up a holo-generator and pressed a button. Obi-Wan felt a rush of emotion at the sight of Luke's face. "Is this the boy?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Thank the Force. Where is he?"

"There is no name on his record and few details. He was at the facility at the centre of the disturbance last night. But he's not there now."

"Gone where?" Obi-Wan said, stepping forward. If only he'd come here immediately!

"We don't know. He wasn't taken by the rumoured Jedi who attacked the facility, and he's not in Imperial custody either. Our insiders at the palace report Vader is still looking for the Jedi and he has ordered a blood test on the children. Our agents are conducting a search in the blocks around the facility and it seems he was in the area a few days ago. Is he the type of child who might run away from a place like that?"

Obi-Wan sighed, remembering the amount of times Luke had roamed from the Lars homestead, often in search of adventure. "Yes, he is."

"You have spies watching the facility?" Captain Antilles asked.

"Yes, sir."

He turned to Obi-Wan. "Then all that can be done is being done, Obi-Wan. You should stay here until we learn more."

"No, Captain. I must go. That boy is our last hope." He glanced out the window at the sprawling surface of Coruscant below. "I would be grateful if you could lend me a ship."

* * *

Luke paced up and down in the corridor, feeling an increasing sense of dread. A droid had delivered some dinner, which he'd eaten quickly after going hungry all day, but now there was an ache in his tummy and he felt a headache coming on. Further exploration had revealed there was no refresher down here.

He did remember seeing one near the garage where the speeders were, and that was the only place he'd have a hope of finding his way to without getting lost. He half-hoped he might see the senator up there so he could ask about the so-called 'pets' but it was quiet on the upper level, and most of the lights were turned out, despite it only being early evening.

When he left the refresher, a figure appeared out of the darkness, creeping along quietly.

"Ah!" Luke jumped back, raising his hands. Then a small flashlight was switched on, and he found himself looking at the senator's wife. Judging by the bag under her arm, she'd come back for something.

"Sorry!" Luke said. "I … uh … I'll be going!"

"Stars, you're that kid, aren't you?" she said, turning on the main light. Now Luke could see her properly, he was surprised at how young she was. She looked only a little older than Biggs' cousin, who had been in her final year of school in Anchorhead. She didn't look old enough to be anyone's wife, never mind Senator Lerrod, who was clearly older than his aunt and uncle. She was also pregnant.

"Um, I'm not sure," Luke said.

"Listen, you should get out of here," she said.

"Why? Is it dangerous?" He suddenly imagined all kinds of horrible things the senator might be doing in this place. Maybe he was running secret experiments. "Why are there people locked up in the basement? What's going on?"

"That isn't the half of it," she said. "His son is completely unhinged and he won't do anything about it. Just buys him anything he wants. He said he wanted a pet Wookiee so he gets one. Then his boss goes to visit Lord Vader and is never heard from again and suddenly he's now the acting senator, and he's stupid enough to think the same thing won't happen to him."

"Lord Vader?" Luke said, surprised. "The one with the black mask? What did he do to his boss?"

"Who knows. Nothing would surprise me. They're all complete despots, and the closer you get to the Emperor, the worse they get. I was too naive to understand it when I met him, but now he expects me to let our baby be part of this!" She gestured at her tummy.

"What's a despot?" Luke said, confused.

"Never mind. Come with me. Quickly, before he comes back from the senate reception. I'll take you back to the Family Services centre."

"They won't take me back," Luke said. "He gave the administrator twenty thousand credits for me."

Her eyes widened. "You mean he bought you like a slave?!"

Another light came on then, and a man with a comlink stepped out of a nearby room. He sighed in an exaggerated way when he saw the woman.

"Back already?"

"I just came to get more of my things, Madden," she said, tightly. "Hasn't your shift ended? Figuring out how to embezzle more credits from the service bills again, are you?"

"Get out before I call the police," he said, coming forward. "You were never anything but a glorified mistress." He grabbed Luke by the arm. "Go back to your room. Who gave you permission to come up here?"

"There's no refresher down there!" Luke said, angry. "And you're holding people prisoner! Who are you, anyway?"

"Don't dare talk back to me, you young street filth." He pushed him into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement. "Mind your place."

Luke was left speechless. Street filth? Mind his place? For a moment he burned with humiliation and imagined going back up there and telling that guy exactly what he thought of him using nothing but Huttese swear words. But slowly the feeling passed. His life had felt like a sandstorm ever since that terrible night on the farm, but he was fast learning something about this uncaring new world he found himself in. He couldn't survive on his own. And if it wasn't for this small room in a senator's basement, he really would be back on the street. Or worse, dead at the hand of his aunt and uncle's murderer, who appeared to have followed him all the way from Tatooine.

When he reached his room, he was careful to drag the table in front of the door.

* * *

Obi-Wan looked up at the sound of a gentle tap. He stretched out to be sure of the identity of his visitor and then used the Force to open the door. His longtime friend, Dexster Jettster, filled the entranceway, carrying two trays and glasses.

"Oh, Dex," Obi-Wan sighed, reaching up to assist. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"For my old friend, Obi?" Dex set out the trays and tossed Obi-Wan a fork. "I'd go to the seven hells of Corellia and back. I've missed you, old buddy. I never imagined you'd be still alive."

"I've missed you too, Dex. And I never imagined you'd still be running this place."

Dex chuckled, pausing only to take a large gulp of water. "They'd have to crush me with one of their walking war machines before they'd get me out of here. Now, tell me about this boy you're after. Maybe I've seen him."

Obi-Wan shook his head. He began to eat, beginning to realize just how hungry he was.

"He is Anakin's son."

"Anakin had a son? I thought all you Jedi were married to the Republic."

"Anakin took that a bit too literally. He was secretly married to a senator."

"You don't say!"

Obi-Wan continued to eat, thinking back on those painful memories. He'd known there was more than friendship between them. Why hadn't he told Anakin he could talk to him as a friend, not a Jedi and certainly not as a council member. There was always too much at stake.

"Luke has inherited his father's strength in the Force," Obi-Wan added. "I believe he is our only hope for restoring the Jedi Order."

"Then I'd say you need to get him back."

Obi-Wan nodded. He looked around at the well-kept room, wishing he could somehow see through every wall on Coruscant. Luke was behind one of them—the Force told him that much.

"Obi, if I can do anything to help—"

"I won't ask anything of you, Dex," Obi-Wan said. "And I'll be gone from here as soon as I can. I don't believe I will leave Coruscant alive."

"Now you're just being the pessimist."

Obi-Wan raised a hand. "Vader knows that I'm here. Not _here_ , exactly, but on Coruscant. I cannot hide my location from him forever."

"You managed okay for over a decade, buddy," Dex said.

Obi-Wan smiled at Dex, appreciating his good-nature. The galaxy needed people like him in times like these.

There was a noise outside, and Dex stood up, leaving half his food behind.

"Better get back to the kitchen, my friend."

"Thank you for stopping by," Obi-Wan said.

"Hey, I've got six words for you," Dex said, squeezing himself out the door.

Obi-Wan smiled indulgently.

"May the Force be with you."

* * *

Luke found himself thinking about a game he used to play with his Aunt Beru while he pulled on his grey Family Services uniform the next morning. It was called 'what we'd be doing right now if we were a rich Core World family'. It would usually come up while they were doing some particularly boring chore, like cleaning moisture vaporator filtration tubes or sweeping sand out of the homestead.

Their imaginary world often involved Aunt Beru sitting beside a swimming pool, sipping from a glass of wine while Luke floated around in an inflatable spaceship. He always managed to work in a ship somewhere. Mostly, Uncle Owen would tell them to get their heads out of the clouds, but one long afternoon, Aunt Beru had expanded the scene to include Uncle Owen dressed in 'skin tight swim shorts' and the two of them had ended up kissing in a way that made Luke declare they were 'totally gross'.

He hadn't even been at the Lerrod mansion for a day and already he could see how far apart their dream was from the reality. They didn't even own any inflatable pool toys, never mind a spaceship one. Even if they did, no one seemed interested in having fun or relaxing. It was only a few hours into the day and already he'd overheard two raging arguments, and one seemed to end with the sound of glass breaking. He'd always imagined people with a lot of money would be a lot happier than this.

When he came out of the refresher, attempting to be as quiet as possible, the man with the grim expression was waiting in the corridor.

"The senator wishes to see you," he said, looking anywhere but at Luke. "Follow me."

The man led him through into a larger corridor, with floor-to-ceiling windows alternating with art panels. He came to a halt outside a room guarded by droids, and then gestured for Luke to enter. On the other side of the doors was the senator's office. It was a comfortable room in creamy tones, with a cabinet full of databooks and ornaments lining the wall behind the desk. He looked up as Luke stepped forward and then glanced to his right.

Luke followed his gaze and found himself looking at a boy who was a younger version of the senator. He was glaring at Luke like he'd stepped on his toe.

"See, this is the boy," the senator said. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"You said I wouldn't have to see him!"

"Boy, why won't you wait outside for a moment," the senator suggested to Luke, pointing back towards the doors.

Luke was glad to, but he was prevented by the senator's son, who pushed past him roughly.

"No, let _me_ be the one to leave! I wouldn't want to interfere with your _quality_ time together!"

He kicked over a pot plant by the door, spilling dirt all over the creamy white carpet. The grim-faced man, who had followed behind Luke, gave a quiet sigh and hastily put it back upright.

"Don't worry about that, Madden, I'll get one of the droids to clean it," the senator said, standing up. "Now, let's get on with business, shall we?" He appeared completely relaxed about the display they'd just witnessed, and Luke had to assume it was a regular occurrence. "Tomorrow is Empire Day and naturally I will be central to the occasion. My personal assistant here will escort you to the senate in the morning. I have a press conference organised."

"Empire Day?" Luke said, frowning in confusion.

Both men looked at him like he was overly dense.

"Is that a Coruscant thing?" Luke asked.

"Sir, perhaps a different boy might be more suitable. This one has clearly been plucked from some Outer Rim swamp."

"It was difficult enough to get this one!" the senator protested.

"I didn't come from a swamp!" Luke said, annoyed. "And the Outer Rim was a hundred times better than here." He looked down, regretting all the times he'd called Tatooine a boring rock.

"Never mind. Your ignorance might actually help sell this. Now, do you understand what you are required to do?"

"No," Luke said, still looking down.

"Mostly just stand there and look pathetic. Much how you look right now."

Luke frowned and forced himself to lift his head.

"There is a possibility the media—that's the journalists and reporters—may ask you a few questions. You will tell them you are grateful to me and my wife for adopting you, and before we were kind enough to take you in, you struggled to find enough to eat. Can you remember that, or should I write it down for you?"

Luke's annoyance over the pathetic remark had disappeared in the wake of his disbelief. "Your wife? Hasn't she moved out? And you've adopted me? I thought I was only staying here for three months."

"For star's sake, don't mention my wife's departure to the media, whatever you do. And of course we haven't adopted you … but the media don't know that, do they?"

"And it wasn't nice living at Family Services, but they didn't starve us." Luke looked up at Madden, hoping he might make more sense. "I want to go back there. You're right. Someone else would be better at this."

The senator had begun to pace. "I don't think you understand me, boy. I'm not asking you for the details of your mundane existence in government care. I'm telling you what you will say to the media."

"You want me to lie to them?"

"Exactly."

"But isn't that wrong?" Luke asked.

"No. Politicians do it all the time. We have to, in order to convince people to vote for us. Sometimes lying is necessary. Understand?"

Luke wasn't sure if he did, but he nodded anyway. If the senator didn't mind lying to other people, then he wouldn't mind if Luke lied to him, either.

"Now, do you remember what you are to tell the media?"

"That I'm grateful to you and your wife for adopting me and that they starved us at Family Services."

"No! IFS is an Imperial institution. If you imply they starve children, that will reflect badly on the Empire."

"I thought you told me to—"

"Change of plan," the senator said, raising his hands. "You will not speak at all—to anyone. You will let me do the talking. After the Senate, we will proceed to the Imperial Palace."

"The palace?!" Luke said, completely baffled. "Where the Emperor lives?"

"Never fear, you won't be anywhere near the Emperor." He sounded amused at the idea. "You will stay with Madden at all times. Except when I require you for something."

Luke nodded. This all sounded crazy, but it was a little exciting to think of going to the Imperial Palace. Maybe he'd be allowed to travel to the top of one of the towers.

"I only have these Family Services clothes," Luke said, gesturing at the grey pants and tunic.

"Those are perfect," the senator said, coming closer and looking him up and down. "We're going for sympathy here."

Luke was surprised. Aunt Beru would never have let him wear clothes like this while cleaning out the garage, never mind to the Imperial Palace. He wasn't going to argue, though.

"I'll send someone to come and get you when the time comes." He waved Luke away, but Luke still had a question. He was determined to ask it, even as Madden pulled him away.

"Sir, why are you keeping people prisoner in your basement? There's a Wookiee down there, and something called an Ewok, and … I don't know what the last thing is."

"They're just my son's pets," Senator Lerrod said, going back to his computer. "I suggest you leave them alone. He doesn't give them enough attention."

* * *

The Imperial architects who had converted the former Jedi Temple into the Imperial Palace had done a thorough job of erasing all trace of the former residents. So many walls and rooms had been renovated with the new decor that Vader could mostly fool himself into believing it was an entirely different place. Personally, he'd have rather it had been destroyed, but his master did like to relish in victory over his enemies.

But one room had remained largely untouched. His old room. He was meant to have sorted through all his crates of spare parts and tools years ago, but somehow he'd always been too busy. Somewhere deep inside, there was a hoarding streak that years of Jedi rejection of attachment to objects had never quite erased. Perhaps it was Skywalker's junk trade upbringing, which taught him to see value in unlikely objects, but he still couldn't bring himself to have it all removed.

He did hesitate beside the door on his way past. He had time now. This Jedi disturbance and Empire Day were keeping him from returning to Mustafar, and there had been little progress on the former. Blood testing of the residents had been completed and none of them were children of the Force.

But after a moment, he kept walking, past his old room, past the now empty rooms of Jedi whose names he still remembered but tried not to think about. Past his new room, which required the installation of a hyperbaric chamber and other devices to manage his medical needs. Finally, on to the balcony, where he could stop for a while and observe the sprawling cityscape.

Vader observed the ripples and eddies in the Force, trying to make sense of it all. The locus point he'd seen on Mustafar was still there, but it was now so large and bright, it dominated the landscape, bathing everything in blue and yellow. It was here, on Coruscant. But what could generate such energy? He'd never known a presence like that. Was this what the Jedi had come to find? He pushed at it, hoping to learn more, but it didn't react to his needling.

Then, without any prior warning, the previously rippling surface was shattered into an imploding mass of energy. Vader became tense, shaking slightly with the force of it, and he gripped the edge of the balcony with his gloved hands. When it finally began to settle, there was a new presence, occupying a space not far from the glowing locus.

_Obi-Wan_.

* * *

Luke fidgeted with his sleeve nervously, as remnants from the racket going on in the senator's office drifted towards him. He didn't know what was wrong with Chilee, the senator's son, but he had a feeling it was similar to the problems suffered by some of the older residents at IFS. They were so full of pain and anger, the only way they knew to express their feelings was by making other people feel the same way.

He glanced up at Madden, who was standing beside him. His expression was as stony and grim as every.

"I'm not going!" came another shout, emphasized with the sound of something shattering against a wall. Chilee came out of the room, followed closely by his father. Luke quickly moved so he was standing behind Madden.

"People are going to want to meet my son," the senator pleaded, following his son down the corridor.

"Then let them meet your _new_ son," Chilee said, pointing in Luke's direction, despite his best efforts to make himself invisible.

"How many times do I have to say this? No one could ever take your place. Not the new baby, and definitely not some skinny waif from Family Services. What am I supposed to do to prove this to you? Do you want a new speeder?"

"I don't care about your kriffing harpy or her baby! Hopefully she stays gone this time!"

He disappeared into the elevator, swearing in several different languages. Luke sighed with relief, glad he hadn't been dragged any further into this.

"So I take it he won't be accompanying you to the Empire Day celebrations?" Madden asked, in a dry tone.

The senator had put his face in his hands. "The new one better be a girl."

Luke considered telling him about the girl at Family Services who liked to set fire to things, and then decided it might make things worse.

"He'll come around," the senator said, straightening up and gesturing to both of them to follow as he walked towards the garage. "I'll call him after the senate proceedings and see if he'll come to the palace."

Luke wondered at this. If he had ever thrown a tantrum like that with his aunt and uncle, he'd have been doing extra chores for a year. Perhaps it was different with fathers and sons. The senator seemed willing to do just about anything to keep his son happy. Would his own father have treated him like that?

At the sight of the speeders in the garage, Luke was stirred out of his daydream.

"Wow!" Luke said, pointing at a shiny red one. "What model is that?"

His question went unanswered though. The senator was speaking with the chauffeur. Luke found himself being pulled towards another speeder, which was older, but no less luxurious.

"You'll be riding with me," Madden said.

"Where are we going again?" Luke asked.

"Get in!"

Luke sighed and did as he was told. How was he ever supposed to understand anything when they never answered his questions? He'd been feeling nervous about this all yesterday, and it was steadily getting worse. He didn't like crowds. Especially crowds of adults who ignored him.

"You'll stay close to me at all times," Madden said, climbing in beside him. "Understood? And you'll not speak a word to the media."

"I know," Luke said. "He already told me."

"Make sure you listen, then."

Luke sighed, wondering for the millionth time how he'd ended up here. He missed his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru so much it made every muscle in his body hurt. He'd give anything to be back on Tatooine now. Helping his uncle fix the moisture vaporators and helping his aunt make cookies. To think he'd been dreaming of the day when he'd be old enough to leave and go to the flight academy.

His reminiscing disappeared in a flash when he happened to take a glance out the window. They were heading right for a massive dome shaped building. The speeder passed over a huge statue of the Emperor, lit from below by revolving red flood lights. Luke gaped at the sight, overwhelmed with awe. There were statues of Hutts on Tatooine, but none anywhere near that big.

"Why is he wearing a hood?" Luke asked, pointing at the statue. "I can't see his face."

Madden ignored him, but their driver spoke up. She was a younger woman with curly black hair.

"He always wears a hood."

"Always and always?" Luke said, leaning forward to talk to her. "What about when he's in the shower?"

She chuckled. "I don't think anyone wants to picture his highness in the shower, kiddo."

"Quiet," Madden said, pushing Luke back. "Land over there."

Luke was still staring at the statue.

* * *

Obi-Wan was disturbed from his meditation by a thumping, groaning mass of four-armed chef. The doors slid open, and a portable holovid entered, followed closely by Dex.

"I don't need any entertainment," Obi-Wan protested. "I'm quite comfortable, Dex. I insist."

"No, you don't understand," Dex said, bending down to plug the equipment into a power socket. His back made a varied range of clicking sounds as he straightened up. "Ah! Not as young as I used to be!"

A 2D picture formed on the projector, and Dex inserted a data tape.

"Was just watching the NewsNet," Dex explained, "and I saw something."

"Saw what, Dex?" Obi-Wan asked, standing up.

Dex pointed a fat finger at the image. "I cut off the start—sorry."

Obi-Wan recognized the hallways of the senate not far from the landing pads. A man was being interviewed.

"Who is that?"

"The newly acting Coruscant senator. But look beside him."

Obi-Wan leaned closer. The image was fuzzy and distorted, but that was unmistakable Luke. He was standing in the background, half in shadow.

"That's him!" Obi-Wan said. "How did you—?"

"Listen," Dex suggested.

" _And is this your son with you_?"

" _This is an orphan I recently adopted with my wife_ ," the senator explained. " _When I heard about the senseless and brutal attack on the Family Services facility, I knew I had to help out in any way I could_ —"

"Thank the Force," Obi-Wan said. "That's the Senate. I'll see if Bail can get to him. Or that agent working for Captain Antilles."

"This is the funny part," Dex said, pointing back at the screen. "See when he's finished his self-glorifying story, the reporter wants to know the boy's name. Look at his face."

The senator looked completely blank. His minder stepped in front of the cameras and he was quickly moved on.

"That's when I thought I better show this to you," Dex explained.

Obi-Wan nodded, turning for his lightsaber. "Thank you, Dex. I'll contact Bail immediately."

"Vader has been seen there too."

"What?!" Obi-Wan looked up.

"The Emperor drags all his minions back to the capital for Empire Day, don't you know."

"Blast it!"

"If I were you, I'd wait until tonight," Dex said. "The blocks around the palace and the Senate will be full of people for the annual parade and fireworks display. The senator will be taking the boy back to his home, no doubt about that."

"If Vader doesn't decide to 'adopt' him for himself."

"Now there's a picture," Dex said, grinning widely. "Vader just doesn't seem like the fatherly type."

"If he knew who he was, he'd kill him, Dex. Kill him the first chance he had. And if he didn't, the Emperor would."

Dex bowed his head, while Obi-Wan paced.

"No," Obi-Wan said. "I have to go tonight. You contact Bail—explain the situation and make sure he has a ship standing by."

"And if you fail?" Dex enquired.

"I won't."

* * *


	6. The Imperial Palace

After a confusing few minutes of being pushed around by Madden and watching Senator Lerrod answer questions from a jostling crowd of people with holo-recorders and voice amplifiers, Luke was taken back to the speeder and locked in. It was lucky the driver was still there, or he might have had to hotwire the lock to get out. She invited him to sit up front and Luke soon learned her name was Oleen and she'd been working as a chauffeur for Senator Lerrod for about six months.

"Did you know he keeps people in his basement and says they're pets? There's a Wookiee down there."

Oleen raised an eyebrow. "I've never been in the basement. Nothing would surprise me. You see it all, working for the rich and powerful on Coruscant. Laws don't apply to them."

"It was the same with people who worked for the Hutts on Tatooine," Luke said, sipping water from a bottle he'd found in the back.

Oleen glanced at him and then said, "So how did you end up in government care?"

Luke stared at the rim of the water bottle, feeling a wave of claustrophobia. Every time he thought about that night, he seemed to remember both a little more and a little less. Water splashed on his pants and he realised his hands were shaking.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry," she said, taking the bottle and putting it in the cup holder. "I shouldn't have asked that."

They both jumped as another speeder came roaring up into the space beside them.

"Nerf herders!" Oleen said. "I bet it's a Corellian."

Luke couldn't tell if the woman who jumped out of the pilot's seat was a Corellian or not. She was dressed in some white and blue uniform. Another man climbed out of the passenger side and began tapping on Oleen's window.

"What the … who are these jokers?" Oleen said, picking up her comlink. Before she could activate it, the sound of a blaster shot caused both of them to duck. When Luke looked up again, he saw the newcomers had scattered, and Madden was rushing towards them, holding his blaster high. He slipped into the back seat in one movement and slammed the door.

"Go, go!"

"Do you owe them money?" Oleen asked, sounding halfway between angry and amused.

Luke stared at the landing pad as they lifted off, seeing senate guards pouring into the area.

"One of them came up to me in the hallway. Wanted to know where the boy was."

"Me?!" Luke said. "I don't know them."

"Maybe your deadbeat parents owe them money," Madden said. He swore then and slammed his hand on the seat. "This is the stupidest idea he's ever had. Kid, one way or another, you're going back to Family Services tonight."

"Fine by me!" Luke said, annoyed. "I never wanted to go with him anyway. And my parents weren't deadbeats!"

"Where should I go now?" Oleen asked.

"Just circle the city a few times and we'll make sure they aren't following. We'll go to the palace and regroup with the senator there."

Luke shuddered, suddenly feeling cold. What if his aunt and uncle had owed someone money? A powerful Hutt would have all kinds of scary people to send after them. They did have a bad harvest some years. Maybe they hadn't told him how bad it was and they'd made some terrible decision and now ... he reached up, feeling a tear threaten to fall.

They flew around and around for ages before Madden finally gave the order to go into land. Luke couldn't even bring himself to look out the window. He wanted nothing more for this day to be over and hopefully be reunited with Crix and Val at Family Services. They could run away again and maybe join the crew of some freighter. He could learn how to fly and travel the stars, just like his father had done.

He leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes, letting his old fantasy fully take over his thoughts.

_The ship was sleek and chrome, the envy of the Mos Eisley docking bays. Luke stood in the entranceway, admiring it. Then a man came striding down the ramp. He had a friendly way about him, with blonde hair and blue eyes just like his. He smiled when he saw Luke, and then crouched down and opened his arms wide._

_"Luke! Luke, my boy, I've missed you."_

_"Dad?!"_

_Luke ran to return the hug._

_"I'm sorry I've been away so long," his father said._

_"Nice ship," Luke said, looking up. "Is it yours?"_

_"Of course. Come with me? We can explore the stars."_

_Luke jumped in the air with joy. "Yes!"_

_"But where's your aunt and uncle?"_

_Luke's face fell. "I … uh …"_

_His father frowned then. "Where are they, Luke?!"_

_His tone had become accusing._

_"I … I don't know what happened! It was so fast … I was scared! I'm sorry!"_

_"Maybe if you hadn't asked for so many birthday presents, they would have had enough money to pay the Hutts!"_

Luke opened his eyes, sighing to himself. Nothing had changed.

* * *

"Sir, this area has been restricted!"

Vader stopped and stared at the senate guard, until she hastily lowered her arms and scuttled away. A stormtrooper captain rushed over to report as he came up the steps to the landing pad. It wasn't a heavily secured VIP landing pad used by the senators, but a lower level one assigned to office staff. There were cordons everywhere, but no sign of a fight.

"Lord Vader, we have secured the area and are in the process of questioning witnesses. We believe the reports of blaster fire are true, but they are the result of an overzealous bodyguard rather than any external threat."

"Do you have them in custody?" Vader asked, already anticipating the interview he'd like to conduct with a trigger-happy bodyguard who had caused a priority one security incident on Empire Day.

"I have a squad tracking him now, sir. We believe he has just arrived at the palace."

"Tell them to hold him there. I will conduct the interrogation."

"Yes, sir."

The captain glanced to the side, and Vader followed his gaze. Mas Amedda, the Imperial Grand Vizier, accompanied by a man unfamiliar to Vader, had just been escorted through the cordon. Mas Amedda had an expression like he'd just tasted some rotten fruit.

"Lord Vader. Captain," he said, looking from Vader to the stormtrooper. "May I introduce _acting_ Senator Lerrod." There was more than a hint of disdain in his tone. "I believe he can shed some light on this incident."

The man stared at Vader blankly for a moment, and then smiled in a truly irritating way.

"Yes, yes, this was all a misunderstanding. My assistant was just coming back to the speeder and he saw strangers banging on the windows. There was a boy inside with a young woman chauffeur and he felt protective, you see. He's worked in security for years and can sometimes get a bit jumpy. You all know what I mean, I'm sure. Apparently a blaster was fired to ensure they stepped away and that was the end of it."

"What a coincidence," Mas Amedda said, folding his arms. "The late Senator Denna was also fond of blasters."

Senator Lerrod laughed. "Yes, he had quite a collection. Your office has been restored, I trust?"

"It is still being repainted." His tone was the opposite of amused.

"We have the other people involved here," the stormtrooper captain said, gesturing off to the side. "They remained to provide witness statements to the senate guards. One of them said she thought she recognized the speeder as belonging to the Chandrilan delegation and tapped on the window to say hello."

The senator laughed again, and Vader quickly turned to leave. If he remained here any longer, Coruscant would no longer have an acting senator.

* * *

Luke stared around in awe as he entered the main public hall of the Imperial Palace. Everywhere there were tall pillars, high ceilings, and massive sparkling windows. Statues of the Emperor appeared at regular intervals, as did all kinds of wall hangings and sculptures. It was so far removed from anything he'd known on Tatooine, he was waiting for one of the strange red guards to come up to Madden and demand he be taken away.

It had taken a lot of strong words from the man to get him through the security checkpoint after the underground landing pad. Apparently some application hadn't been filed, and they needed more information to give him a temporary security pass. Finally, after Madden's continual insistence that 'the senator will be extremely upset if there is any cause for delay', they came up with the idea of giving him the pass already in the system for Chilee Lerrod. Madden was sure the senator's son wouldn't show up at all, but in the event that he did, it would be simple enough to give him the pass and send Luke home.

"Where are we going now?" Luke said, his voice barely above a whisper. There were people wandering everywhere who looked wealthy and important.

"To an area designated for the press and senatorial staff," Madden said. "In about an hour's time, there will be a gala presentation in the reception hall and Senator Lerrod is giving a speech. We will wait on the sideline and he will call you over when you are required. Afterwards, your part will be done and I will call the chauffeur to escort you back home."

"What will I have to do?" Luke said, confused.

"Only to stand beside him. Nothing else."

Luke was about to ask further questions, when the sight of white armor attracted his attention. A pair of stormtroopers were coming through the crowd, walking straight towards them. The sight of them made him think of LJ. They both stopped in front of Madden, and the one of the right gestured off to the side.

"Sir, you will come with us. You are required to answer some questions about an incident at the Senate."

Madden sighed and glanced at his wrist comlink. "How long will this take? I have a lot of work to do."

"Please, come quickly and quietly," the trooper said, putting a hand on Madden's shoulder. "We don't wish to disrupt the celebrations."

Madden shrugged the hand off but he did begin walking where the trooper had gestured, mumbling to himself about overzealous security procedures. Neither trooper even glanced at Luke, but he followed them, nervous at the thought of being abandoned in this massive place. He badly needed a refresher, and perhaps there would be one in the place they were taking Madden.

They went through two massive carved doors with red guards on either side, and then down a winding stairwell. At the bottom, they emerged into a long, dark corridor. Luke glanced back over his shoulder as they turned corners and passed through another grim, heavy door. This was so different from the light and glamorous party atmosphere they'd just left behind upstairs. It was reminding him of stories on Tatooine about what happened to people when they were taken to see the Hutts.

Madden seemed to be feeling the same sense of danger, as his mumbled complaints turned into spoken complaints, and then near shouting.

"This is outrageous!" he said, when one gave him a push to keep him walking. "I am the chief of staff for Senator Lerrod, and I promise you, when he hears of this, you will both be court martialed!"

They didn't respond. Luke had hung back now, feeling a chill in the air. Up ahead, there was another heavy black door, flanked again with red guards. The troopers reached up to grip Madden's arms as one of them pressed the button to open the door, and Luke put his sweaty hands in his pockets, clutching his security pass.

Between Madden and the stormtroopers, Luke had a brief glimpse of a round black table and some chairs in the room beyond. Then, a cold, hissing sound like someone drawing breath through a tube. He took an instinctive step backwards, before finally turning and sprinting back up the corridor, feeling the need to move away from whatever was in that room as quickly as possible.

But they'd taken so many turns, and it was all so dark down here, Luke soon found himself lost. There weren't even any guards to ask directions. Finally, a green exit light above a door shone like an oasis in the desert, and he climbed the stairs two at a time, hoping he'd at least find some other people on the ground floor.

When he burst out of the door at the top, he looked left and right, seeing he was now in a corridor with actual daylight and fancy art. There were no party guests, although he could hear the buzz of conversation down the far end. He turned to the side so fast, intending to go down to see, that he bumped into a pedestal. The porcelain jug on top rattled back and forth, causing Luke to dive forward to prevent it from crashing. It was a full minute before he stopped shaking—the thing was probably worth a million credits and he had nearly broken it!

Luke looked around nervously, seeing an entire corridor of expensive looking art between him and his destination. How did a boy from a farm on Tatooine end up among all this?

He was not the only one to wonder that, because a red guard appeared beside him. He didn't say anything, merely stared down from what seemed like a great height to Luke. His helmet was so shiny, Luke could almost see his own reflection. His eyes wandered to the left, and he saw the guard was holding some kind of spear-like weapon. It looked dangerous.

Just when Luke thought he might have to start begging for his life, the man spoke.

"Did you lose your tour group?"

The strange sound of the words through the guard's helmet made Luke smile. He sounded a little like LJ did, yet more distorted. He also sounded amused.

"No. I'm here with … a man who works for Senator Lerrod. But some stormtroopers took him downstairs and … I was supposed to stay with him, but …" Luke frowned, realizing he had no idea what to do next. "It was scary."

"Senator Lerrod is due to arrive here shortly. I can take you to the VIP landing pad to wait for him, if your security pass allows access to that level."

"That's a good idea," Luke said, sighing with relief. He reached for his security pass, but his fingers closed around nothing but pocket lint. The cheap material had caused the inner seam to split at the bottom "I've lost my pass!" he said, looking around. "I … I had it downstairs. Wait! Let me find it!"

Going back down there was the last thing he wanted, but being dragged away by a spear-wielding guard because he was in the Imperial palace without a pass was even worse. He turned and went back down the stairwell, keeping an eye out for the silver and red pass. Once at the bottom, he turned to find the guard had followed him.

"I swear I did have a pass!" Luke said, raising his hands.

"You wouldn't be here if you didn't," the guard said, still sounding amused. "When did you last have it?"

"It was in my pocket when I was outside the room where they took Madden." Luke thought for a moment, remembering how he'd turned and ran. It could have fallen out then, but he didn't want to tell this guard he'd run for his life because he heard a strange noise.

His companion raised his head for a moment and stood still. Luke was looking around, trying to decide if he could actually find his way back there, when the guard looked back down.

"Your pass is there. Follow me."

Luke wondered how he knew. Maybe the guards had some way of communicating with each other through their helmets. In any case, he was glad this guard was going with him, as he was feeling nervous again. But maybe it would all be okay. Perhaps Madden had finished with the stormtroopers and he could go back with him. Nothing was ever as scary the second time around.

* * *

"Take the body to the morgue," Vader said, turning to leave. He would arrange to have it delivered to Senator Lerrod when it would have the maximum effect.

As soon as he exited the doors, he was brought up short by the sight of two terrified bright blue eyes. A child. No, not merely a child. The Force rippled with his glowing presence, dulling his own sense of the Dark Side. A Force-sensitive child. Curious indeed …

The boy turned and fled up the corridor, dodging a royal guard who was a few paces behind him. Vader glanced down, seeing the boy had been about to pick up a visitor security pass. He used the Force to summon it to his hand and looked at the name.

_Chilee Lerrod._

Of course Lerrod would be too stupid to understand children were not invited to the palace event. Or, more likely, he believed _his_ child was an exception.

It never failed to amaze Vader, the number of parents who believed the galaxy revolved around their child. If that's what parenthood did to a person, Vader was glad he would never be inflicted with _that_ particular condition.

* * *

After a good hour of hiding in a refresher stall, head spinning with the increasing unreality of his life, Luke began to form a rough plan of action. He would get out of this place one way or another, and then find his way back to Family Services. From there, maybe he could convince them to transfer him back to Tatooine. He needed to get as far away as possible from that pure sense of terror he'd just experienced down in the basement. That magazine picture did not do that Darth Vader person justice.

He managed to avoid attracting attention from the guards by walking confidently and keeping his head up, in complete contrast to how he was feeling inside. Up ahead, there was a large statue of the Emperor with his back to him, his arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture. It seemed to Luke like the type of thing that might be near an entrance, so he walked faster, hoping he'd see the way out once he went past it. He was two paces away from it when he felt a rough hand on his shoulder, and then he was jerked around to face Senator Lerrod.

"Where the hell have you been?! Where's Madden?"

Luke raised his hands. "I don't know! He was taken away by stormtroopers. I've been trying to find my way out of here!"

"What do you mean, find your way out? For star's sake! This is the Imperial Palace! You were both supposed to be there for my speech."

Luke frowned. "I want to go back to Family Services."

"No, you are coming with me and I'm going to introduce you to some people. Don't say a word."

He tried to grab his arm, but Luke reared back. "I don't want to meet people. I want to leave! This place is weird and scary."

Just as he said the word scary, Luke saw the source of his earlier terror stepping out of a nearby elevator. Nothing had been improved by the fact he was now in daylight and not the pitch dark basement corridor. Luke looked around desperately, hoping to see a large door leading outside.

Before he could run, Senator Lerrod succeeded in grabbing his arm and gave him a shake.

"One would think, after paying twenty thousand credits, I could have got a child with at least half a brain!"

Lord Vader was less than ten meters away now, coming right for them. Luke desperately tried to free himself, and finally, the senator must have sensed the cold fog approaching behind, as he straightened up, glancing over his shoulder. As soon as he let go, Luke turned and ran, only to run head first into a royal guard. He looked up, recognizing the one who assisted him earlier.

"Oh! You!" he said.

The guard looked down at him, and then over at the senator and Lord Vader. Luke didn't dare turn around. Just hearing that breathing noise was enough. No words were exchanged, but the guard then put a gloved hand on his upper arm, guiding him on.

"Come with me."

* * *

The senator was droning on about the honour of being asked to speak at the occasion, and the possibility of meeting the Emperor, but Vader barely heard him. He was staring after the boy as he was led away by the guard. It was a cruel twist of fate that a two-faced, bootlicking politician like Lerrod should have a Force-sensitive son. He was certainly strong in the Force—even clearer now that they were in such close proximity. But not much else. Short, skinny, and the worn clothing did not help. He looked like he'd spent some time in a detention centre.

Vader glanced at Lerrod then. This man was decked out in the latest Coruscant fashion, complete with a fully embroidered floor-length robe. Something didn't add up.

"Your son?" Vader enquired, gesturing after the boy.

The senator laughed in a truly irritating way. "No, no. My son should arrive shortly. I'd be honoured to introduce him to—"

"Then what is your relationship with that boy?" Vader asked, pointing a finger at Lerrod's chest. "Answer quickly."

"Quickly," he repeated, seeming to finally catch on that perhaps trying his patience wasn't a wise use of his time. Despite his intention, his explanation was anything but quick. "Ah, yes. It all started when I saw the holos of the Jedi attack at the Family Services centre. Just the thought of all those poor kids without parents to take care of them. It broke my heart! So I thought 'here am I, with all my wealth, the least I could do would be to take one of these poor, lost souls into my home and care for them'."

"He came from the Family Services centre?" Vader said, feeling the Force hum with the revelation. So. He was what the Jedi were after.

Lerrod nodded. "They said, 'Sir, we've got a boy here who keeps running away and getting into trouble. He'll end up in juvenile prison if we don't find a home for him soon. Everyone has turned us down so far.' So what could I say? I had some reservations about having a delinquent child in my home, and my wife wasn't too impressed, to say the least. But I thought, don't we all deserve another chance? Don't we all just need a leg up now and then? So I agreed to take him."

This speech sounded very rehearsed, like he'd already delivered it several times today.

"Who were the boy's biological parents?" Vader asked.

Lerrod actually looked confused at the question, as if it hadn't occurred to him the child might have parents. "I'm not sure, my lord."

Vader was willing to bet his life the boy had been sired by a Jedi. He appeared young enough to have been born after the purge began ... perhaps the remaining exiled Jedi had made the decision to reproduce, to restore their flagging numbers. They were out there, somewhere. Planning to raise these new padawans to bring down the Empire. Vader looked towards the circular window at the end of the hall, contemplating the city beyond.

Obi-Wan and this other Jedi had come to Coruscant to retrieve the boy. But something had foiled their plan, or they would have taken their prize already. Perhaps they didn't dare risk a strike while the boy was in such close proximity to the Sith.

Lerrod had been droning on in the meantime, and Vader resumed listening.

"It hasn't been easy, adjusting to life with a new member of the family. But I know it will be worth it in the end."

"I wouldn't get too attached to the boy, if I were you," Vader said, more to the window than to Lerrod.

His tone finally reduced the senator to silence, and Vader turned and walked back to the elevator. The senator would likely faint if he told him the boy would have to be killed. Politicians never did like getting their hands dirty.

When, was another question. Now that he knew Obi-Wan's plans, perhaps he could use the boy as bait to draw out the remaining Jedi. The Emperor might even let him forgo these endless Empire Day ceremonies if he presented a sound plan. In the interim, he would assign some ISB agents to guard him.

* * *

"You seem so normal," Luke said, staring at the now helmet-less guard. The man had readily agreed that he needed to leave the Imperial Palace as soon as possible, and had even offered to give him a ride back to the senator's mansion.

As soon as they had entered the black speeder marked with the Imperial flag, his new friend had removed his helmet to pilot the speeder, revealing a 30-something bearded man with black hair.

"Should I take that as a compliment?" he asked, glancing over at Luke.

"No ... I mean, well I didn't mean it as an insult. I didn't mean to say you were boring."

"It's okay if you do," he replied, smiling. "My son thinks I'm boring. He's around your age."

"You have a son?" Luke said, surprised. "This is what I mean. You don't think of guards as having families. Maybe I'm just used to the stormtroopers at Family Services—they're retired clones and don't even have proper names."

"Oh, we have proper names. They're generally kept secret, though. Except to our fellow guards."

"Can you tell me?" Luke said, grinning.

"I could ... but then I'd have to kill you."

Luke stopped smiling and stared in shock.

"I'm just kidding," he said, smiling, "Sephan Jarnet, captain of the fourteenth squadron of the royal guard. And you are?"

"Luke Skywalker."

"I figured you weren't actually Chilee Lerrod. The senate guard warned us to assign a squad to him if he actually showed at the palace today, but you seem fairly harmless."

"More like two squads," Luke said, frowning.

"So how did you end up in the company of the senator, Luke?"

Luke raised his hands in a shrugging motion. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself. He showed up at the Family Services centre and handed over thousands of credits in exchange for me. Then I find out he has a Wookiee locked up in his basement, and no one seems to care. Coruscant is so strange."

"I can't argue with that." He was no longer smiling. "Is he treating you all right?"

Luke was about to tell him he was planning to grab his T-16 and high-tail it out of here as soon as he was able. But he hesitated. The guard might try and talk him out of it or want to call the police. He didn't need the attention.

"It's fine," Luke said.

The guard looked at him in a worried way that reminded him of his aunt and uncle.

"It's a lot better than the Family Services centre," Luke said. "That place got attacked by a Jedi."

This seemed to satisfy him. "Yes, I heard about that. Hard to believe there are still Jedi around."

They were dropping out of the traffic, and Luke looked at the senator's mansion in disgust. To think he'd thought this place looked interesting when he'd first arrived. The fancy exterior hid an ugly truth inside. Like many things on Coruscant.

"Thank you for the ride," Luke said, as they set down.

"You're welcome. Perhaps I'll see you over at the palace again."

"No way!" Luke said, "I'm not going back there! First, I could have broken that expensive vase. Then I nearly bumped into Lord Vader in the basement! That place and me don't mix!"

"That wasn't the basement," Captain Jarnet said. "It goes down a lot further than that."

"Does it get even scarier the further you go down?"

The guard looked like this was a revelation to him. "I suppose it does. Gets pretty scary at the top as well. In the middle is generally okay."

Luke smiled. "I'll remember that if I'm ever forced to come back." He started to open the door, but the guard raised a hand.

"Wait." He removed a notepad from the glove compartment. "This is my comlink frequency. Call me if you need help."

"Uh … thanks," Luke said, accepting it. Maybe he hadn't believed him when he'd said he was fine. He quickly slid out onto the landing pad before he was asked any more questions. "Bye."

"Goodbye, Luke."

* * *

Always one to stand on ceremony, the Grand Vizier gave Vader a look of disapproval as he entered the anteroom to the main banquet hall. The Emperor was waiting to enter, preceded by five pairs of royal guards.

"Ah, Lord Vader," the Emperor said. "You were delayed?"

"Yes, my master," Vader said. "My apologies."

"No more shooting, I hope."

Vader hesitated, conscious of Mas Amedda's presence, and the various other members of the Imperial hierarchy in the room beyond. He normally let the Emperor take the lead on whether it was appropriate to discuss Sith matters in front of an audience.

"There have been … developments in the situation with the Jedi," he said.

The Emperor stared at him for a moment, and then waved a hand behind him. "Leave us."

It took a moment for the room to be cleared. The guards in formation remained, but the Emperor moved away from them.

"You have sensed Kenobi again?"

"No, Master. But I have discovered what they are after. It is a Force sensitive child, as I suspected."

"Where is this child now?"

"Nearby, at Senator Lerrod's home. After the attack, the senator went to the Family Services facility to procure a child for his political campaign. I have assigned several agents to watch the building and report on any change in the situation."

"You want to use the boy as bait to draw out the Jedi?"

"Yes, Master."

"There is a risk in your approach. They may succeed."

"I will sense their arrival."

His master appeared skeptical, but he nodded. "Be mindful. They may take advantage of the crowds in the city for the evening parade." He raised a crooked finger. "No public incidents. If you must leave the ceremonies, do so discreetly and make sure it is handled without destroyed buildings and random fires."

Vader was about to protest he hadn't destroyed a Coruscant building or caused any random fires in years, but then he wasn't entirely sure that was true.

"I will endeavour to do as you wish, Master," he said.

* * *

The senator's home seemed deserted when he walked through into the main hall. In Madden's office, a comlink was beeping insistently. A roving security droid floated past, but it paid no attention to Luke. Walking further than he'd been before, past the senator's office, he found a dining room with fruit bowls laid out and jugs of water and glasses. He'd already devoured a whole bunch of berries when a serving droid appeared.

"Good afternoon, young sir," the droid said. "May I get you something?"

"Stars, yes, I'm starving," Luke said. "What kind of food do you have?"

The answer was pretty much everything, from bread and soup to pie and ice cream. There was an entire leftover baked meat and cheese dish which the droid said would be disposed of at the end of the day. He was happy to put it in a container for him, as Luke had an idea for a better use for it.

Once he'd eaten his fill, he made his way downstairs, his arms full of all the leftovers he could carry. As soon as he entered the cage room, the Wookiee snarled.

"It's me," Luke said, ignoring the sound. "I brought you some food."

The snarl changed to a more friendly sound, and Luke walked around to the slot and conveyor belt that transferred food. It took a minute to unload all of it, and then Luke looked down at the tiled floor, feeling a wave of helplessness. "I'm sorry I can't help you more."

There was nothing he could do but walk away. It was getting late in the day now, and he wanted to be away from here before dark.

But as soon as he came through the doors, he felt rough hands grab him and shove him against the wall. Luke didn't even need to look up to know who his unwelcome company was.

"Did you _feed_ them?" Chilee yelled. "They're _my_ pets!"

Luke struggled against Chilee's hold, but it was useless. Chilee was older, stronger, and bigger.

"They're not pets, you sleemo!" Luke yelled back. "They're people!"

Chilee shifted his hand up to Luke's throat and pressed him harder against the wall. "Why aren't you at the palace with my father?!"

Luke attempted to kick Chilee in the shins. It didn't hurt him, though, as he was wearing thick padded boots. Chilee tightened his grip, and Luke struggled to breathe. He stared into his eyes, seeing only a sadistic type of pleasure. Luke felt fear rise up in his chest in response. There was no one around, no one to help him. Chilee was so angry, so crazy ...

Just when Luke thought he was really going to strangle him, Chilee suddenly let go. Luke fell to the floor in a daze. His laughter sounded muted as if he was hearing it through a comlink. The blurry image of six hands were reaching down to grab him.

Without thinking, Luke kicked out and sent Chilee staggering backwards. It gave him the much needed moment to recover from his lack of oxygen. Encouraged by his momentary success, Luke jumped to his feet and held his fists ready.

Far from ready to back down, an enraged Chilee charged back into the fight, smashing both of them into the wall. Luke had been in fights before, in the schoolyard on Tatooine, but never against an opponent so angry. He swung his fists wildly at Luke, not caring if they hit their target or cracked into the wall. One finally slipped through Luke's defenses and hit him viciously in the face.

Luke felt his nose begin to bleed and something inside him snapped. He felt a surge of energy fill the air around him, and he hit back, pushing all this new found energy into a weapon. When he finally managed to focus again, he was still standing, but his opponent had fallen against the wall at the other end of the corridor. He'd been thrown about ten meters.

Luke stared in surprise. Who had done that?

Chilee began to stir, and Luke didn't stick around to wonder about it. He ran for the elevator as fast as his battered body could carry him.

* * *


	7. Jedi Bait

Obi-Wan couldn't help but think of Anakin, as he sped and dodged his way in and out of the Coruscant traffic lanes.

_Sorry, Master. I forgot you don't like flying._

_I don't mind flying, but what you're doing is suicide!_

Anakin had been determined, then. He always was when someone he cared about was in danger. If only he was here right now—he could certainly use his help.

_Isn't that the problem, though?_

Obi-Wan shook his head, suppressing the thought. He had long ago given up on making that connection in his mind. It was simply too painful. Nothing of the compassionate, caring apprentice he had raised remained in Vader. To think of Vader as Anakin was a disservice to everything Anakin had believed in.

It hurt, though. It hurt to have to hide Luke from him like this, even if Vader didn't retain the spirit of the man who had fathered the boy. He would like him to at least see how much Luke had inherited, from both his parents.

"Master Kenobi?"

The speeder comlink lit up with an image of Agent Bass.

"I'm on my way. What's your status?"

"The boy has left Senator Lerrod's residence and appears to be making his way into the heart of the Imperial City district. We have a security droid tailing him. I should be able to pick him up in the next thirty minutes."

"If you reach him before I do, tell him you're working with Ben Kenobi," Obi-Wan said. "That's the name I used on Tatooine and he'll remember me. I won't be far behind."

"I will. See you shortly."

As Obi-Wan reached up to turn off the comlink, he took his eyes off the lane. He would regret his distraction, later. It was a critical mistake.

He didn't even see it coming until it was too late. A black shadow, flying out of the sky, lightsaber ignited. Obi-Wan jumped up to face him, but the attacker already had the advantage of surprise. Obi-Wan was hit in the chest by a powerful Force push, one which sent him tumbling over the side of the speeder.

Then he was falling down, down ... and this time, Anakin wouldn't be waiting to pick him up.

* * *

It had taken Luke an hour to find his way to the public walkways and bridges that passed for Coruscant's streets. Every store and restaurant was decked out in Imperial flags, and the crowds were so thick, it was difficult to move.

Stormtroopers and hovering security droids appeared on every corner, but Luke didn't attract their attention in the throng. He'd never been in the streets of this wealthy part of Imperial City before and despite his dire situation, he couldn't help but wonder at how clean it was, compared to the murky dark alleyways surrounding the block where IFS was located.

Eventually, he found signs pointing to an airbus terminal, but there were long queues of people waiting to travel out of Imperial City and even more streaming in, and far too many droids checking for valid tickets. He would have to hide somewhere and wait until things had calmed down.

The abundance of neon lights and lack of alleyways made it harder to find a hiding place, though. Soon, he was hopelessly lost in a network of transparent overpasses that led between a shopping district and a restaurant area. When he was pushed aside by a large group of Nautolans in fancy clothes, he reversed into a stormtrooper who gripped him by the arm.

"You all right, kid? Are you lost?"

Luke quickly pulled away. "No, I'm fine! My parents are just over there!"

He ran off, pushing past the Nautolans and jumped into an elevator that was closing. A young girl held the door for him, and he smiled at her as he slipped inside.

"Thank you."

"Your nose has blood on it!" she said, pointing up.

Luke wiped at it with his sleeve. "It's nothing." Maybe he should find a refresher and wash his face.

The elevator was going up, and he stayed on until the top floor, which led to some rooftop bar. The security guards took one look at him and then pointed down.

"I think you have the wrong floor, kid."

Luke stared past them, seeing the bar had a view out over the floodlit Emperor statue in front of the Senate. At least he knew where he was now.

"Yes, you're right," he said, pushing the button for the lowest floor. Perhaps he'd have more luck down there.

It took a good fifteen minutes to travel down, stopping at every floor to collect people who then exited a couple of levels down. When he finally reached the bottom, he found it much less crowded, to his relief. He could even see a public refresher sign down past a bridge. The only other 'person' getting out at this level was one of the hovering security droids, but it darted away when he stepped out.

He was busy staring around at the somewhat shady looking stores in this area, when he heard a woman's voice behind him.

"Luke Skywalker?"

Luke jumped around in one movement. It was one of the people who had tapped on the windows of their speeder at the Senate, right before Madden had started shooting.

"How do you know my name?" he said, looking around in confusion.

"I'm helping Ben Kenobi. He's here looking for you."

"Ben Kenobi?" Luke said, feeling a sudden rush of hope. "From Tatooine?"

She nodded.

"Where is he?" Luke said, taking a step towards her. As soon as he did, the woman ripped out a concealed blaster, aiming it over his head. He turned again and could hardly believe his eyes. Over the bridge, under the public refresher sign, he could see someone else walking towards them. His view was blocked by a slow-moving protocol droid, but there was no mistaking that overly thin body, the creeping gait, and the deep crimson laser sword. Was he hallucinating?

"Luke! Run!" the woman shouted, firing a few shots towards the murderer of his aunt and uncle. Luke tried to get back to the elevator, but instantly there were two security droids and four stormtroopers pouring out of a nearby cantina. The amount of blaster fire in the area only increased after that, and Luke dived behind a row of dumpsters. As soon as he had caught his breath, he risked a glance over the top of the lid.

He couldn't see the woman anymore, but the stormtroopers shot randomly at the Jedi, pumping hundreds of laser bolts in his direction as if their blasters had unlimited power. The shadowy figure deflected them all into the permacrete paving, and some came flying back towards him and hit the wall above his head, exploding in a shower of sparks. Luke quickly ducked down, but when one shot hit the dumpster, crushing him against the wall, he looked to the elevator. A security droid had collapsed in the doors, holding them open.

Luke felt a familiar panic rise in his chest. This was just like that terrible night on the farm. No, he couldn't think about that now. _Just count to three and go_.

The next thirty seconds happened in a blur. He ran for the elevator and immediately felt a searing pain burning in his leg, sending him tumbling to the paving. This was it. He was really going to die. Hopefully he'd be reunited with Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. And his parents. He closed his eyes, thinking about how good it would feel to finally share a hug with his father.

Then he felt a hand grabbing the back of his shirt, yanking him up. It wasn't until he was half-thrown, half-pushed into the elevator that he realized it was a stormtrooper. The man was badly limping too, but he was still holding his blaster and he was shooting steadily over Luke's body. Adrenaline kicked in and Luke used his good leg to shove the broken droid out of the elevator doors. They immediately closed.

"Thanks," the stormtrooper said, sinking back against the far wall.

Before Luke could respond, part of a lightsaber blade cut through the doors. The stormtrooper quickly hit a button, while letting loose several swear words. The elevator began to move, but just as Luke managed to get back on his feet, they both heard something bang on the other side of the elevator floor.

The stormtrooper hit another button, and the elevator came to a halt at the next floor. The trooper reversed out, blaster at the ready, holding Luke upright with his other arm. Everytime weight rested on his injured leg, Luke gasped at the pain. Any second now, that Jedi would burst through the elevator floor and what chance would they have then?

"Luke!"

Luke turned, seeing the woman from earlier, now at the controls of an open-cockpit speeder. She shouted something else, but he couldn't hear her over the blaring alarms. Past her, he could see troop transports rushing into the area, ready to coordinate an evacuation. He started to move towards her, but stumbled, grazing a knee. In a moment, she had brought the speeder up beside him, and he used the door handle to pull himself up.

"Come on!" Luke called to the stormtrooper.

"We're not taking a buckethead," the woman said, with an air of disdain.

"He saved my life!" Luke said, frowning. Gritting his teeth, he limped over to pull the trooper towards the speeder. He still had his blaster trained on the elevator. Just as Luke reached him, there was a flash of black and red, and someone burst through the elevator floor.

"We need to get out of here!" Luke shouted.

The stormtrooper finally turned and ran for the speeder, throwing himself into the back. Luke was a second behind, and the woman fired her blaster past him to cover their escape. A second later, they had roared off into the Coruscant sky, throwing Luke back against the passenger seat.

"Great," the woman said. "And now we have more bucketheads on our tail." She gestured over her left shoulder.

Luke couldn't turn his head far enough to look. At this point, he didn't care if half the Imperial navy was on their tail, as long as it wasn't that Jedi. That guy was an unstoppable machine.

"Where are we going?" he mumbled, trying not to look at his injured leg.

She didn't answer. Luke glanced at her, feeling suddenly doubtful. Ben Kenobi? That old hermit? How would he have the credits to travel to Coruscant to find him? And why would he? More likely this woman was a bounty hunter, perhaps working for the Hutt who was trying to collect on his aunt and uncle's debt. Maybe they thought they could recover it by selling him into slavery.

The idea made him shudder in the cold night air. He looked over the side, wondering if he'd have a chance to escape when they landed. They flew across the Senate square, where thousands of people were gathered with flags and glowing sticks. Then past the Senate, past a rectangular park filled with fountains and gardens, and finally to a white tower. The landing pad had an entire team of people dressed the same as the woman, with white uniforms and blasters. It didn't put Luke's mind at ease.

As soon as they landed, there was a screeching noise behind them, and Luke finally eased his leg into a position where he could look. Another speeder, this one fully enclosed with tinted windows, had landed behind them. A black-suited commando trooper climbed out and shouted for everyone to drop their weapons.

Luke had no idea who these people were, but he had a feeling they weren't going to obey. The woman beside him jumped out of the speeder and stood ready with her blaster raised.

"This embassy is under the jurisdiction of Alderaan," she said. "You will put down your weapons!"

"You have until the count of ten to drop your weapons or we will open fire!"

"I can't believe this," Luke mumbled. He looked over the seat at the stormtrooper, who was lying down and breathing heavily. "You okay?"

"Been better, kid," he said. "But I'll live. You should take cover. This doesn't sound good."

"I can't believe what my life is right now," Luke said, flinging himself over to the pilot's side. The woman was distracted with the fight and didn't notice as he slipped out onto the ground. A moment later, the inevitable blaster fire burned through the air, causing red and green to blur at the edges of his vision. He gave up crawling and began to run towards the building as fast as his burning leg could carry him.

He kept looking over his shoulder as he moved, half-expecting to see his Jedi hunter shoving everyone else aside to reach him. It was just like his nightmare. No matter how fast he ran, he could feel him getting closer. As the last of his adrenaline began to run out, Luke stumbled with exhaustion.

Finally, he reached a corridor and fell to his knees beside the wall. His hand triggered a touch-sensitive button and a small compartment slid open next to him. Crawling in, the door immediately slid closed beside him, leaving him shrouded in pitch darkness, but he didn't care. All he could do now was wait. He couldn't run anymore and he was too injured to fight. The Jedi would find him and then … maybe it would finally be over.

* * *

As he flew over the crowds, Vader had the speeder's HoloNet terminal tuned to the official Imperial coverage of the Empire Day festivities. The talk of a 'minor security precaution' in the Senate entertainment precinct made for an interesting juxtaposition with the ISB agent's report on the other end of his comlink.

"... three stormtroopers were killed in the confrontation. The Jedi escaped down an elevator shaft into the lower levels. I've ordered an area search, and we have emergency back-up teams in the area now."

Vader clenched his fingers around the steering controls. Leaving the Empire Day banquet 'discreetly' had meant he'd just missed the reappearance of the elusive Jedi. He could have ended this right now if he'd been five minutes earlier.

"Where is the boy?" Vader asked.

"An agent working for the Alderaanian government picked him up and has taken him to their embassy. A death trooper squad has pursued them."

"Tell them I will be there shortly," Vader said, changing direction. Wherever the boy was, the Jedi would soon follow. As to how the Alderaanians were involved, he didn't have the energy to theorise.

As soon as he swerved out of the traffic lane, he could see a fire on the embassy landing pad. He glanced at the rear view HUD and saw a fire ship was already on its way. He shifted aside and fell back to let it pass, trying not to think about the Emperor's last instruction. If he hadn't insisted on him attending the banquet in the first place, this might have been avoided. At least the building was still in one piece.

The fire ship had the entire landing pad covered in fire suppressant in under a minute, and Vader followed it in to land. As soon as he stepped out of the speeder, he felt the presence of the boy humming in the Force around him. It was hard to miss.

An ISB agent approached him from behind one of the Alderaanian ships, her armor marked with blaster burns.

"My lord, these Alderaanian scum opened fire when we tried to retrieve the boy, and then ran for their lives. We're currently trying to find him."

"I will find him," Vader said. "Take all Imperial personnel and vacate this building immediately. You have drawn too much attention."

The agent saluted and immediately went to carry out his order. Vader turned and followed his sense of the boy's presence. It led him a few meters inside the building, to a utility compartment in the wall.

He was about to open the door, when another Force presence flared at the edges of his perception. This one was unfamiliar, but the nature of the Force that surrounded the presence was not. Angry, fearful … pure hate. It had sensed him as well.

Vader ignited his lightsaber and began to move towards the malevolent presence, but it shielded itself and vanished into the ever changing energy of the city. Part of him wanted to pursue and chase this Dark Side pretender to the ends of the galaxy if need be, but a shuffling noise from the wall compartment made him halt.

He waved his black-gloved hand in front of the door, causing it to slide back with a whoosh. There was no sign of movement within, so he tilted his lightsaber into the darkness. The red glow instantly lit up the figure of the boy, cringing against the wall and shielding his face with both arms. His terror buffeted against his mental shields, causing him to take a step back.

Vader glanced towards the landing pad, wondering if he'd been hasty in dismissing the ISB agents. This wasn't exactly his area of speciality.

He turned back to the child and found the boy was staring at him in surprise, as if he'd been expecting someone else. Vader felt equally surprised by his appearance. Part of his face was swollen and bruised. Blood ran from his nose and trailed down his gray shirt. The agent who had been following the boy had made no mention of injuries. If the Jedi were intending to rescue him, they would hardly inflict this damage. Perhaps the boy had resisted his capture.

"What happened to you?" Vader demanded. "Do you know the Jedi you were hiding from?"

The boy's only response was to try and squash himself behind a cleaning droid. Vader looked from his lightsaber to the boy and decided he might make better progress if he switched it off.

"You have nothing to fear," Vader said, holstering his lightsaber. "The Jedi has gone. Come out into the corridor."

He stepped back from the entrance to give the boy room to climb out. After a few seconds, in which no sounds of movement were forthcoming, Vader glanced back in annoyance. Had he just been disobeyed? By a _child_?!

"Hurry up!"

The boy only cringed at his words, looking not unlike a frightened bantha cub.

Vader looked around, hoping for someone else, _anyone_ else, who would know how to handle this situation. Sith Lords and children did not mix.

The corridors remained deserted and quiet.

Looking back at the boy, he found himself in two minds about what to do. He could order the ISB agent to return and escort the boy back to the senator's home. That might tempt the Jedi into making another attempt to retrieve him, and Vader did not intend to let him survive the next one.

So why didn't he? Vader continued to stare at the boy, wondering why the child's gaze seemed familiar. Perhaps he had killed the boy's Jedi parent at some stage. Or perhaps he or she had been an acquaintance of Anakin Skywalker.

Whatever the reason, it was silly to stand here in a state of indecision. Perhaps he should take heed of the old axiom and trust his feelings.

"I am not going to hurt you," Vader tried, attempting to sound less threatening. "Now, come out of there _immediately_." He embedded a healthy dose of Force suggestion into his last command, hoping it would do the trick.

To his surprise, the child simply brushed it off. "You'll just t-take me back to the senator."

Vader sensed genuine fear behind the words. Curious. It suddenly occurred to Vader that the boy may have obtained his injuries from the senator himself. It was difficult to imagine Lerrod being capable of such brutality, but appearances could be deceiving. The thought made him feel increasingly angry.

What to do about it was another question entirely.

While he considered the idea, the boy suddenly launched himself out of the compartment and tried to bolt. Vader reached out to block his path, but it turned out to be unnecessary. As soon as the boy tried to put his weight on his legs, he sunk to his knees and would have collapsed if Vader hadn't caught him.

Now that he could see the boy in the light, his injuries appeared far worse.

"You need medical attention," he said, feeling a wave of concern he couldn't explain. There wasn't time to wonder about his feelings, though—he had to get the child to a medcenter or he could forget about using him as bait for the Jedi. He propped him up against the wall. "Can you walk to the speeder?"

The boy rubbed his head for a moment and then nodded.

"Good." Vader let him go, and the boy began to limp forward, heavily favoring his right leg.

* * *

"Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan rubbed his head, feeling a tender bruise forming under his hair. He opened his eyes and found several sets looking back at him.

"He's coming around."

"It's about time."

"Shhh!"

A hand was placed on his chest, and he felt waves of healing flow through his body, helping him call on the Force for strength. He waited until he was fully aware and then sat up quickly.

There were no weapons pointed at him. Only concerned gazes. Except one, which he recognized as belonging to the Lars' murderer.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The one who had spoken first pulled back her brown hood.

"Isel?" He smiled in recognition of the Saslum Jedi healer. "Isel Arperh. I had no idea you were still alive."

"I can say the same about you, Master Obi-Wan," Isel said, reaching out to pat his shoulder.

Obi-Wan cast his eyes around the other two in the group, not recognizing them. Judging by their ages, they wouldn't have been more than eight or nine at the time of Palpatine's takeover. Their presence in the Force was weak, barely stronger than that of a non-Jedi. Perhaps that was why they had managed to survive.

Obi-Wan looked past his companions and saw he was in the hold of a rundown ship. Taped wires were visible in the walls, and a bucket was positioned a short distance away, catching a coolant leak.

Before him, his nemesis stood up and drew back his hood. His gray head was shaped like a squashed triangle, and his eyes were of the large, compounded variety. Now that he could see him in the light, he was vaguely recognizable to Obi-Wan. He believed he was knighted shortly before Anakin, but he'd left the order during the Clone Wars.

In the Sectoid symbol of greeting, he extended all six abdominal appendages from the folds of his robe. It appeared the one Obi-Wan had sliced off on Tatooine had since grown back.

"We meet properly at last, Master Kenobi," he said, in the same raspy, hissing tone Obi-Wan had heard on the terrible night of the Lars' murder. "I am Murzil Tis, former padawan of Master Lee Yanbur."

"I fought with Master Yanbur in the Battle of Konopal," Obi-Wan said. "He was a dedicated Jedi of unswerving faith. How would he feel to know his former padawan had become a murderer?"

"Grateful that he was a good enough master to prevent his padawan from turning traitor," came the sneering reply.

"Stop it!" Isel said, standing between them. "Tis, who did you kill?"

"A pair of innocent farmers, while they slept in their beds," Obi-Wan supplied.

"It was necessary to retrieve the boy," Tis replied. "Besides, they resisted. I would have let them sleep if they hadn't started screaming."

"Resisted," Obi-Wan repeated. "Fancy that. You were going to kill their nephew!"

"I was never going to kill the boy."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but Isel spoke up in his defense.

"Our plan was to train him," she said, turning to Obi-Wan. "We need a Jedi, a _strong_ Jedi, to defeat Sidious and Vader. Many have tried, but all have fallen."

Obi-Wan nodded. He had thought along similar lines himself.

"Who better than the son of Anakin Skywalker?" Isel continued. "I learned of his existence during a vision. We all know Anakin was one of the strongest Jedi the Order had ever seen. He may be injured now, but he is still powerful. Only someone of Luke's strength will be able to defeat Vader in combat."

"Your plan is sound," Obi-Wan admitted. "But he was never yours to train. Owen and Beru Lars were his rightful guardians—it was their choice, and they said no. I was watching over the boy until he reached an age where he could decide for himself. Jedi do not steal children from their guardians!"

"The Jedi are all but dead and you want to talk rules?!" Tis replied.

"No, I want to talk principles," Obi-Wan said. "What is the point in restoring the Jedi if we violate all the values we stood for?" He looked up at Isel. "You agree with what he's done?"

She shook her head, turning away. "I don't know anymore," she said. "It's been a decade since the Empire was born, and we have made no progress. If we wish to succeed against the Sith, perhaps we must become as ruthless as they are."

Obi-Wan shook his head, feeling like a cloud had been cast over his mind. If even a Jedi healer could be corrupted like this, perhaps there was no hope for any of them. All this made him feel old and tired.

"Where is Luke now?" he asked. "I was going to retrieve him when you attacked me."

"I nearly had him," Tis said. "Then Vader showed. How do you like that, Kenobi? Luke has now been captured by Vader, thanks to your efforts to hinder me."

"What did he do with him?!" Obi-Wan asked, fearing the worst.

"I don't know. He sensed my presence, and I had to run. The boy is probably dead now, thanks to you."

Obi-Wan stretched out with the Force, seeking confirmation. It was difficult, though. The Force was a swirling mass of many different threads, all of them intertwined. One of them belonged to Luke, but which?

"I don't feel his death," Obi-Wan said, finally.

Isel smiled. "Then we will have another chance!"

"Not if Vader continues to take an interest in the boy," Tis said. "I cannot fight Vader alone."

"What if Obi-Wan were to assist you?" Isel suggested. "One of you could distract Vader while the other one took Luke."

"Excellent idea," Tis said. "But there is one problem." He pointed a clawed appendage in Obi-Wan's direction. "He is too holier-than-thou to assist us."

"Obi-Wan," Isel said, coming and kneeling down next to him. "Surely you can't believe Luke is better off where he is. If the two of you work together, we can get Luke back."

Obi-Wan looked aside, considering it. Working with the Lars' murderer went against every instinct he possessed. But Isel was right—Luke was in grave danger. Getting him away from the Sith was the first priority. After that, he could see about getting him away from Tis.

"You could help train him," Isel added. "You are one of the greatest Jedi. He could learn a lot from you."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Tis said. "Given your track record with Skywalkers, a few years in your presence and we might have another Vader on our hands."

"That would be more desirable than what you will do with him," Obi-Wan said. "At least Vader doesn't pretend to be a Jedi."

With a sweep of his black robe, Tis suddenly drew his lightsaber and stepped menacingly towards Obi-Wan.

"No!" Isel said, again jumping in the way, "Give him a chance to change his mind!"

There was a tension-filled moment, and then the blade was switched off.

"I am willing to cooperate with you to retrieve Luke," Obi-Wan said. "But I will not tolerate attempts to train him to use the Dark Side of the Force."

"I don't trust you," Tis said, turning away. "You''ll double-cross me at the first opportunity."

"Then you be the one to retrieve Luke," Isel said, "while Obi-Wan distracts Vader. Fair enough?"

Tis nodded.

"When will we move?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Leave it to me," Tis said. "Reconnaissance is my specialty. Tomorrow, I will return to Coruscant and determine what Vader has done with the boy. You better hope your former apprentice has enough scruples to spare his own flesh and blood, Obi-Wan."

He walked out of the room, leaving him alone with Isel. Obi-Wan looked at her, shaking his head.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"Not too far from Coruscant," she said. "I know many hiding places." She looked down. "I have always tried to help our kind. But now I fear we are the last of them."

"If we are the last, then it is even more vital that we stick to our principles," Obi-Wan said. "I can't allow him to train Luke. He will teach him to hate Vader and Palpatine as much as he does."

Isel shook her head, sadly. "The Dark Side is strong, Obi-Wan. The Jedi are not."

Obi-Wan sunk back to the floor, fearing that Isel might just be right.

* * *

"Is it true that you command the entire Imperial starfleet?"

Vader looked over at his passenger, wondering what had brought this on. After they'd entered the speeder, Vader had located an icepack in the medical kit and given it to the boy to hold against his leg. It seemed to have made him more impudent, rather than provided any useful medical benefit.

"I have no interest in answering idle questions," Vader said, taking his hand off the steering controls to point at the boy. He didn't notice, though, as he was too busy watching wide-eyed as Vader dodged an oncoming speeder one-handed while not even looking at the traffic.

"Sorry, sir," he mumbled, in an annoyingly endearing way.

Vader spotted the Senate building below and breathed out with relief. There was a medcenter in the lower levels, intended for use by the government staff, and so it was open all hours. He'd asked an assistant to have Senator Lerrod meet him here at the earliest opportunity.

"People tell me I'm too curious," the boy mumbled, rubbing his head. "I can't help it."

Vader plunged the speeder downwards, accelerating rapidly, until he pulled out at the last minute and brought it down in a gentle landing.

"Wow, you fly like nobody's business," the boy said, his eyes wide.

Vader was annoyed to find himself feeling amused by the boy's remark. "Do they also say that you talk too much?"

The boy shook his head, but Vader suspected he wasn't being entirely truthful. Unless it was the effect of his presence that caused the boy to babble like this. A situation he very much doubted. The boy took his point, however and withdrew into a silent state as he climbed out onto the landing pad. He remained that way as they entered the building, a situation for which Vader was grateful. A child feeling brave enough to speak to him went against the natural order of things.

He studied the building directory on the wall opposite the entrance and ran his finger down the list until he located the medical center.

"Keep moving," Vader said, eyeing the boy's limping gait. "It is only a short distance to the elevator bay."

He nodded but was clearly reaching the end of his endurance. He was a fighter, though, that much was clear. The boy had refused to rest during the journey to the speeder and struggled on towards the elevator bay without complaint. He had a strong spirit to match his strong presence in the Force.

It was almost a shame he would have to be killed once he'd served his purpose. He would make a good apprentice. Perhaps the Emperor could be convinced to make other arrangements for the boy.

The bright blue eyes glanced up at him, becoming aware he was being analyzed. Vader quickly focused on the elevator buttons. Floor eight was their destination. He hoped the senator would be waiting.

But the medical facility was deserted, as the Senate was in recess for the Empire Day holiday, with the staff usually either returning to their homeworlds or enjoying the festivities outside. The automatic transparisteel doors slid open, revealing a comfortable reception area with a circular desk in the middle, attended by a silver protocol droid. The boy collapsed onto a chair while Vader approached the desk.

"This boy needs medical attention now," Vader said, gesturing.

"Yes, sir," the droid said. It turned its photoreceptors on Luke and tilted its head for a moment.

"I'm sorry, sir," it said, finally. "That boy does not appear in our patient database." The droid produced a datapad form faster than a speeding podracer. "Please fill in these details."

Vader eyed the form, warily. Name, date of birth, place of birth, name of first parent, name of second parent ... as if he would have any idea.

"I am not filling in any form," Vader said, angrily. "I said the boy needs medical attention _now_."

Said boy was gazing at him with a fearful expression, but Vader didn't care. He wasn't leaving here until the boy was in the hands of someone competent. If he left the boy with this secretary droid, he would likely be dead before the gears of bureaucracy finished grinding.

"We cannot treat a patient without details," the droid said, indifferent to his anger. "May I suggest you try the public medical centre five blocks to the north-east?"

Vader was infuriated. The droid was only saved from a lightsaber dissection by the appearance of a human doctor.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "You'll have to excuse L-160 here. His programming is … experimental."

"This boy needs medical attention," Vader said, gesturing at the child, who was looking more pale by the minute.

"Yes, sir. If you'll please come with me ..."

The doctor led the two of them away from the waiting area and into a private surgery. Vader noted the name on the door as they entered—Doctor Leeson. Human doctors on the payroll was a sure sign of a medical facility that catered to the wealthy on Coruscant. The medical droids inside the room were polished up with a gold finish and were undoubtedly the very latest models.

One of them self-activated and rolled over to assist the doctor as he helped the boy up to sit on the examination bed.

"So young man," the doctor said. "Where does it hurt?"

The boy failed to smile at the doctor's poor attempt at humor, and Vader couldn't blame him. The doctor was trying to help him relax, but it seemed to be having the opposite effect. The boy was staring at the medical droid, looking confused.

"This is my assistant," the doctor explained, patting the droid. "He's going to help me assess your injuries. If you tell him your name, he'll tell you his."

Vader listened curiously, but the boy didn't reply. He was staring at the floor, looking miserable.

"The shy type, huh? Never mind. Perhaps your friend will be able to fill me in."

Vader bristled at being referred to in such a fashion, but he supposed that was what you had to expect when you were in the company of children. Especially difficult children such as this one, who babbled away one minute, then played shy the next.

"This boy is in the care of Senator Lerrod," Vader explained. "He is supposed to be meeting me here to discuss the situation. If you require any information, I suggest you ask him."

"His son?" the doctor enquired.

"No. He is an orphan whom the senator procured to assist with his political campaign. I found him abandoned in this condition at a local embassy."

The doctor glanced over at the boy, looking concerned. Vader followed his gaze and saw the droid had rolled up the boy's clothing, and revealed a nasty looking blaster graze across his leg.

The boy had been shot?

Vader's wondering ceased when he heard voices outside, and he recognised the Force presence of the senator. So, he'd finally decided to show his face. This was one conversation he'd been looking forward to. Abruptly, he turned, leaving the doctor alone to work.

Senator Lerrod had come with two aides and a bodyguard. They hastily backed away when Vader appeared.

"Ah, Lord Vader," Lerrod said, bowing. "I received a message that you found the boy injured and of course I came as soon as I—"

Vader squeezed his throat slightly, cutting him off. It was so very tempting to squeeze harder, but he knew he had to refrain.

"If you have a taste for violence, Senator, I would be happy to indulge you," he said. "Such a fight would be fairer than you and that boy."

"Sir, I swear to you—I never touched the boy!"

He was telling the truth. Reluctantly, Vader released his Force grip.

"Then who did?"

"He ran off! He probably tried to steal from someone and got into a street fight. It won't happen again ... I'll assign a security guard to keep a better watch on him."

"See that you do," Vader said, ominously.

The senator swallowed. "I'll go in and see how the boy is, if you don't mind, sir."

Vader stepped aside and stared after the senator as he entered the surgery. His work was done here. It was unlikely Lerrod would allow anything to happen to the boy again. He may be a scheming politician, but he had learned from his predecessor's mistake where he was concerned.

But it still didn't feel right to simply leave the boy in Lerrod's care. Yet it was the logical thing to do. The senator was his guardian, after all, despite the somewhat shady circumstances under which he obtained that right. If the boy was to be used as Jedi bait, the senator's home would be the best place for him. It was far enough away from the palace to let the Jedi think they had a chance.

Besides, what else could he do? Take the boy back to the Imperial Palace? The Emperor would conclude his plan had failed and order the boy killed.

There was nothing to be done. He would arrange for extra ISB agents to be assigned and remain close by. Finally, Vader turned for the exit.

* * *


	8. A Final Plan

"Listen, I'm sorry about all this," the senator said, pacing up and down in front of the examination bed. The doctor was still binding up Luke's leg, with the assistance of a medical droid. "I never intended to leave you alone with Chilee. I'm still trying to find out where in space Madden has got to."

"I'm not going with you," Luke insisted. "I want to go back to Tatooine."

"And you can! I'll buy a luxury flight for you and everything, I promise. But I just need you to do one more thing for me. I'm hosting a reception tomorrow night for potential donors for my election campaign, and I want to try and do the speech properly this time. You'll be the star attraction."

Luke stared at the man, wondering how long he would have survived if he'd ever had to live in a place like Anchorhead. He was so out of touch with reality, and everyone else here just seemed to go along with it.

"I heard your conversation," Luke said, gesturing to the door. "Lord Vader thinks you hit me. I bet that's what everyone else at your party will think too when they see my face."

He'd caught sight of himself in the gleaming surface of the medical droid, and it wasn't a good look.

"We'll just say you accidentally fell out of bed."

Luke sighed, looking down as the doctor sealed the bandage.

"You can shower with this on," he said. "You'll need to come back in three days so I can check on the progress."

"Yes, yes, can he leave now?" the senator said. "Just charge the bill to my account. I need to get back to the parade."

"I'm hoping to be as far away as possible in three days," Luke mumbled.

The doctor looked between him and the senator, and then said, "Sir, would you mind waiting outside for a moment? I need to talk to the boy about a sensitive medical matter."

The senator raised his hands, looking vaguely nervous, and then quickly reversed out the door. The medical droid closed it behind him.

Luke stared at the doctor, wondering what this was about. "Um … do I have sand lice?"

He smiled, turning to his computer. "No, I just wanted to get rid of him."

That finally made Luke grin. This doctor wasn't so bad. He even looked a bit like a really old version of him, with blue eyes and blondish hair that was greying in places. A bit like how his father looked in his daydreams, except with shorter hair.

"This is a real long shot," Luke said. "But your name isn't Skywalker, is it?"

"Skywalker?" he said, looking at Luke in surprise. "No. Doctor Rafi Leeson."

"Oh. That's okay."

"You're looking for someone named _Skywalker_?"

Luke shook his head. "It's my name. Luke Skywalker. You look a bit like me so I thought … never mind. Wait, why? You know someone by that name?"

The doctor started to say something, and then stopped. Then he said, "Tell me … how did you attract the attention of the Dark Lord of the Sith?"

"Who?" Luke said, frowning in confusion.

"Lord Vader."

"Oh. I've been wondering that myself. He's really scary."

It felt wrong, somehow, that he had ever come to the man's attention in the first place, never mind that he had actually spoken to him. Lord Vader was so important, a lightyear removed from everything Luke had ever known on Tatooine. Vader had probably been to every star system in the galaxy, traveling in gigantic starships that could dwarf entire moons and who knew what else.

"There's some Jedi trying to kill me," Luke admitted. "Or maybe just capture me. He killed my aunt and uncle … then I ended up with Family Services. The Senator took me from there. Lord Vader seems like he's interested in finding that Jedi."

"Was your father a Jedi?" the doctor asked.

"No. A navigator on a spice freighter."

"Ah." The doctor sighed in a way that sounded relieved. "For a moment there … still, probably best not to tell anyone your name is Skywalker. Children of Jedi aren't … well, they aren't looked upon favourably by the Empire."

"Are you saying there was a Jedi named Skywalker?" Luke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Empire also doesn't look favourably on anyone talking about the Jedi, or remembering things about famous Jedi," the doctor said. "Perhaps we should change the subject." He smiled at Luke. "In any case, you seem to have been left better off by your encounter with Lord Vader."

"That's true," Luke said. He tested his leg on the floor. "This feels a lot better. Thanks."

"I'd like just a bit more information before you go," he said. "When is your birthday?"

"Um … I only know in the Tatooine calendar."

"That's no problem. I have a conversion tool right here."

He brought up a different screen on his computer, and Luke helped him select the 56th day of Dopa. This converted to the 23rd day of the fifth month in the Coruscant calendar.

"That's today," the doctor said, glancing at him. "Today is your birthday?"

Luke frowned, trying to think. It felt like months ago that he'd left Tatooine, but it might have been days. But he knew it hadn't been long before his birthday when he left.

"That … could be right." He shrugged. "My life has been changing since I came here and I don't know what's going on most of the time."

"Do you at least remember how old you are?" The doctor sounded sad.

"Um … twelve? Yeah. I was eleven last birthday."

The doctor studied him for a moment, and then said, "Would you like me to call someone at Family Services? You don't need to go with the senator. I have already made notes detailing three examples of neglect I've seen in the past ten minutes."

Luke glanced at the door. "Well … he did say he'd buy me a flight back to Tatooine. I'd rather go back there than Family Services, so maybe I'll see where that goes. It's just one more day. And I've realized I left my stuff at his house so I'd like to get it back."

"All right. But I want you to call me if anything gets worse, okay?" He produced a datachip. Luke wondered if any of these kind adults offering him help realized he didn't actually own a comlink.

Then he produced a bowl of wrapped chocolate candy shaped like the Imperial flag. "And take a handful of these. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you," Luke said, eagerly filling his pocket. This was more useful.

* * *

_"Obi-Wan?"_

_Obi-Wan stared around in confusion. He was standing on the square roof of a building, the Coruscant cityscape all around._

_"Qui-Gon? Master, is that you?"_

_He hadn't heard that calm voice since Tatooine. Since that terrible night on the Lars farm. The fog grew thicker around him, and he saw glittering points of light begin to appear._

_"I've failed," Obi-Wan said, looking down in despair. "I failed his father and now I've failed Luke."_

_It was a different voice that replied. Padmé's voice._

_"There is good in him. I know."_

_The sound of lightsabers clashing filled the air. He took a step forward, seeing Luke lying slumped on the ground, but the boy disappeared before he could reach him._

_"You need to trust in the Force, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon again._

_Obi-Wan turned, seeing another vision appear off to the side. Vader, the mangled dark form that once was his best friend, was standing with Luke cradled in his arms. He stared straight at Obi-Wan._

Then a sudden sharp jolt of electricity, and Obi-Wan's head snapped up. The meditative trance faded away, and he saw Tis standing in front of him, holding a force pike.

"See anything interesting?" he asked.

"I won't ask where you got that," Obi-Wan said, standing up and rubbing his shoulder. "What did you find?"

"The boy is still alive," Tis said. "According to the senate guard I questioned, your former padawan even took him to a medcenter."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened in surprise. "Medcenter? Was he injured?"

Tis clicked his claws together a few times, which Obi-Wan supposed was a shrug. "I believe a stormtrooper shot him while I was trying to reach him."

"And you never saw fit to mention this? Where is he now? Is he still in the medcenter?"

"It was only a graze. Now he's back at the senator's home, and Vader appears uninterested. They even say he's leaving Coruscant today. The senator is having a launch party for his campaign tonight. A good opportunity to make another attempt to retrieve him."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Very well. May I please have my lightsaber back?"

Tis spun the force pike around in one of his hands. "Tonight." He waved a claw at him as he turned to leave. "Why don't you continue meditating? You might learn something useful."

The frustrating part was he felt like he already had, only he wasn't sure what to make of it. It was near impossible to return to the same Force vision after one had been interrupted, but Obi-Wan assumed his cross-legged position again, endeavouring to centre himself. This is what Qui-Gon would do. Anakin would be ripping apart the ship in search of his lightsaber or trying to build a comlink out of spare parts. He smiled at the thought, trying not to let it become clouded with pain.

Footsteps made him open his eyes again, and he saw Isel in the doorway.

"I hear Tis has good news," she said, coming over to sit with him.

"Yes, we will hopefully rescue Luke tonight," Obi-Wan said. The image of Vader with Luke in his arms returned to his mind. Unwelcome.

"And then?" she said. "Will you stay with us?"

"I will never allow Luke to be corrupted by the Dark Side. You need to take those padawans and get far away from Tis."

"I have considered it," she said. "I've known him a long time, and he's become a completely different person during this last year. But where will we go?"

"I can give you a comlink frequency for a friend of mine," Obi-Wan said. "Senator Bail Organa or Alderaan. He'll know a place where you'll be safe." He hesitated, and then said, "I want you to give him a message from me."

"Anything," she said.

"Tell him I had to trust in the Force."

* * *

Imperial City was still swarming with cleaning droids and local security, both tasked with restoring the government blocks to order after a long night of revelry. Vader had barely rested, preferring instead to monitor the feeds from the many security droids currently circling the Lerrod mansion, and to read the updates from the ISB agents stationed inside. It was a testament to Lerrod's stupidity that he had not noticed that his new 'security guards' hired for his party were in fact spies. It was a wonder he was still alive.

One of them, Agent Pari, had been specifically assigned to guard the boy, and she had reported he was currently confined to his room in the basement. Thermal scans of the building confirmed this. He was as well-monitored as he could be without having a camera in his room, but Vader still did not feel able to withdraw into meditation. Last night's attempt to take him had been desperate, and his instincts told him they would try again soon. If they weren't on their way already.

Part of him knew he was acting obsessively, as he was often prone to do when Jedi were involved. But at least he wasn't so far gone he was spending the day waiting on Lerrod's roof with his lightsaber in hand. His younger self would have flown over there hours ago and paced up and down all day.

His comlink beeped, right on schedule. It would be Agent Pari reporting in again. He'd requested immediate updates on any change in the boy's situation.

"My lord," she acknowledged, as the call connected. "The senator just came down to speak to the boy. He's gone away now."

"About what?"

"He is doing a speech at his reception tonight to launch his senatorial campaign, and it seems heavy on talk about serving the less fortunate. He wants the boy to wait in the wings and then come out to stand beside him at a certain point. He's told the boy to wait in his room and asked me to bring him upstairs when I receive a call from his assistant. The guests will start to arrive in about two hours."

"Very well. Does the boy seem content to remain in his room? No attempts at escape?"

"He is restless, sir. I gave him my multi-tool to play with, and he's occupying himself with dismantling one of the surveillance droids right now." She hesitated. "He's also asked a few times if he can borrow my blaster."

"Does he want to shoot the senator?" Vader asked, dryly.

"I thought the senator's son might be his target, sir. That kid is insufferable. But he told me he needed it to rescue some prisoners. I suspect an overactive imagination."

That sounded like the type of ridiculous idealistic thing he might have dreamed of doing at that age. It suddenly occurred to Vader why he had found Luke's stare so disconcerting.

"Don't take any chances," Vader said.

"Yes, sir."

He continued to stare at the empty comlink long after the call had ended, considering the situation. Finally, he turned, heading for the ship hangar. It was time to give in and go and wait on Lerrod's roof

* * *

Night had once again fallen over Imperial City when Tis brought the ship in to land, a block away from the senator's mansion. Obi-Wan could see the party was already well underway, with a line of chauffeured speeders waiting to unload VIP guests. Vader's presence filled the air with a chill, and Obi-Wan wondered if he was actually attending this event as a guest. Anakin had hated such things, and it was hard to believe such a trait wouldn't be amplified after the Dark Side had taken over his old friend's personality.

Tis stood up and waved his arm for Obi-Wan to follow. As soon as he left the ship, he leapt up to the side of the building, and continued on up to the roof. It had been a while since Obi-Wan had used the Force like this, and he was breathing quickly by the time he joined him, hidden behind a satellite dish.

It didn't go past Tis.

"Are you sure you're up to this, old man?"

Obi-Wan ignored him. "I can sense Vader is in the building," he stated, calmly. "You lied. Why?"

"Perhaps my intelligence sources were in error," Tis said.

"Perhaps you have a plan you haven't seen fit to enlighten me of?" Obi-Wan said, raising an eyebrow.

Tis made an odd clicking noise and then reached for his lightsaber. "I didn't want to worry Isel. She is fond of you, for some reason. Our original plan holds—you distract Vader, I rescue Luke."

"You make it sound so simple," Obi-Wan said.

"It is simple. Go on over to the roof—" Tis pointed, "and wait for Vader. He will no doubt come as soon as he senses your presence, considering the two of you are such good friends. You'll have lots of catching up to do. Meanwhile, I will find the boy and hightail it. As long as you can occupy Vader for at least five minutes, that is. I'm beginning to think you'll go down in two."

"You know very little about being a Jedi," Obi-Wan said. "If you think such childish mockery will affect my judgment."

"I know more about being a Jedi than you ever will," Tis said, anger evident in his voice. "I represent the future of the Jedi, Obi-Wan. You are a relic of the past."

"We're wasting time," Obi-Wan said, simply. He stepped out from behind the satellite and gathered the Force.

* * *

Luke stared at the blade of the make-shift laser cutter he'd managed to assemble from the surveillance droid's parts. It didn't look like it could cut through much, never mind the lock on the cages, but it was worth a try. Unfortunately he hadn't managed to convince the guard to lend him her blaster, or this would have been over much sooner. Now time was running out. Any moment now, he'd be dragged upstairs to play a part in some boring speech.

Pari, the security guard assigned to watch him, was standing on the other side of the corridor, blaster in hand. She was taking this really seriously.

"Everything all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, just going to the refresher," he said, gesturing down the hall.

She nodded. As Luke suspected, she had no idea which door was the refresher, and didn't react as he entered the cage room.

The Wookiee started to roar in greeting, but Luke hastily raised a hand. "Quiet! Please, there's a security guard down the hall." He started to move towards the lock, but then he hesitated, eyeing the Wookiee warily. He looked ravenous. Maybe he wouldn't be too fussy about what he would eat. Perhaps it would be a better idea to start with the fungus-like ball.

He turned on his improvised tool and slashed the lock on the third cage with a single gesture. The door swung open immediately, and the green mossy ball came rolling out. Luke smiled as it brushed against his leg, but was then interrupted by a low whimper from the Wookiee.

Bracing himself, he extended his arm as far as it would go and then removed the lock from the Wookiee's cage. Surprisingly, he didn't come out straight away. He was gripping the bars between his and the Ewok's cage, whimpering miserably.

Luke followed his gaze and shuddered. The Ewok was dead. His anger at the sight threatened to overwhelm him, but he knew anger wasn't going to get these other prisoners out of here safely.

"Come on. I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave him," Luke said. "I'll tell the security guard you are lost party guests and I'll show you the way out. There's so many people here they won't notice."

The Wookiee made a noise of agreement, and finally came out of the cage. Luke opened the door and looked down the corridor. His stomach twisted as he saw Chilee had made an appearance. He was dressed in a fancy suit and, judging by his expression, attempting to flirt with the security guard, who looked vaguely disgusted.

"Wait," Luke said, putting his improvised laser cutter aside. "Chilee is here. I'll try and get him to go away and then I'll come back for you."

The Wookiee made a noise of agreement, and then Luke came fully into the corridor again. At the sight of him, Chilee's leer turned into an angry disgust.

"Puke! It's time for you to go upstairs!"

"Thanks for telling me," Luke said, keeping his tone polite.

"What are you doing in there? You better not have been touching my pets again!"

"I was just making sure they weren't upset by all the noise from upstairs," Luke said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Chilee walked towards him, and Luke dodged out of the way of his attempt to shove him aside.

"I wouldn't go in there, if I were you!" he said, raising a hand.

But Chilee only turned back and shoved at him again. This time, his hands made contact. The security guard came a few paces down the hall.

"Hey now," she said. "What's going—"

A roar loud enough to shake the walls filled the air as Chilee opened the door, and he immediately came flying back and fell against the far wall. The security guard raised her blaster in shock, but Luke hastily pulled it down.

"No! He's my friend!"

The Wookiee ran out into the corridor, and Luke turned, pulling the guard on towards the elevators.

"Time to get out of here."

She looked between him and the Wookiee, and then seemed to agree. Luke held his arm against the elevator door, and yelled back down the corridor.

"Come on! Run!"

The Wookiee did not need Luke's encouragement. They both clattered down the hallway towards the elevator.

Chilee was climbing back to his feet, looking a bit dazed. "Puke!"

"Hurry! In the elevator! Hurry!" Luke yelled.

The Wookiee was first in, Luke glanced behind at the fungus-ball, who was somewhat slower.

"Hurry!" Luke yelled.

For a second, Luke thought they weren't going to make it. Then Chilee fell to the ground, slipping on the trail of its slime. The green ball made a squeaky noise Luke could have sworn was a laugh. Luke smiled as the elevator doors closed, shutting Chilee out and taking the escaped prisoners to safety.

He glanced up at the security guard. "Don't worry! I'll just show them the door and then I'll do my bit for the senator, and no one will even notice."

* * *

Vader felt the waves of panic from below before he heard the screams. As he walked over to the edge of the roof, he could already see the hordes of party guests falling over each other in their haste to get out. Then, the sound of shattering glass, and a table was thrown clear through a window, causing a wave of water as it splashed into a swimming pool. The screams only grew louder.

His comlink beeped with three different callers, but it was Agent Pari who connected through first.

"Sir! We have a situation down here!"

"I noticed," Vader said. "I'm on my way. Is the boy safe? Where is the Jedi?"

"No sign of the Jedi. There's a Wookiee rampaging through the main ballroom and—" The holo abruptly flickered out, and Vader stared at it, wondering if he'd heard correctly. A Wookiee?

Another call connected, and this time it was Agent Akeylemp, the Zabrak assigned to the north wing. "Lord Vader, I can't raise any of the agents on the landing pad! The Jedi might be—"

This call was cut off by the distinctive sound of a lightsaber hum. Vader immediately jumped off the roof, landing neatly on the nearest balcony. A very drunk navy officer stumbled through the doors and waved a finger at Vader.

"Monster! Really ... big ... monster! Look out!"

Vader made a noise of frustration and walked on into the house. It was tempting to choke such a disgrace to the Empire, but he didn't have time. Besides, it wasn't the same if they were too drunk to know what was happening.

As he strode into the rapidly emptying corridor, he narrowed in on the boy's Force signature and followed the trail with single-minded purpose.

Then his mental concentration was shattered by a very familiar presence. _Obi-Wan_.

* * *

After the noise had finally begun to die down, Luke heard a squeak beside him. He glanced down to see the fungus ball, rolling out from behind him. They'd been sheltering from the stampede of guests under a large grand piano.

"You're lucky you didn't get turned into a pancake," Luke said, picking it up. "I guess it's safe to come out now."

He stepped out into the corridor and found himself face to chest with an enraged Chilee.

"I'm going to _kill_ you!" he yelled, balling his hand into a fist and swinging it wildly. Luke dodged and ran for the ballroom. Chilee was close behind, clearly not worried about the reason for the guests' departure. The only person who remained in the ballroom was the Wookiee—even the senator appeared to have run in terror. Surprising, what a starving Wookiee could do.

Luke didn't have time to dwell on it, though. Chilee picked up an abandoned plate and threw it at him. It smashed into his head, causing him to trip and sprawl forward onto the floor.

"Run!" Luke said, throwing the fungus ball to the Wookiee. "There's an exit through to the landing pad! Go!"

The Wookiee paused from devouring an entire leg of roast meat and caught the fungus alien with a single paw. He roared angrily, clearly noticing Chilee. He started towards his former owner with seemingly murderous intent.

Luke couldn't blame him, but he knew he couldn't stand by and let this happen, either. As much as he hated Chilee, this wasn't right. Chilee backed away in terror, grabbing a chair to defend himself.

"Stop!" Luke yelled, shifting so he was between the Wookiee and Chilee. "I freed you. If you honor that, then you have to listen to me."

The Wookiee paused.

"Go!" Luke repeated. "You're free now—don't waste time on him!"

The Wookiee glanced at the doors and then took a step towards Luke. Luke thought he was going to push him aside, but instead he grabbed him in a strong, hairy hug.

"Okay, okay!" Luke said, smiling despite the grave situation.

The Wookiee then ran for the doors. Suddenly aware that he was now alone with Chilee, Luke glanced behind, only to find the chair flying straight at him. He leapt aside, but he wasn't quite fast enough. It knocked him to the ground, twisting his leg which was still healing from the blaster graze.

"You ... little ... piece ... of ... poodoo ..." Chilee yelled, rushing forward to kick him. "You let my pets out! You never should have come here, you filthy little gutter dwelling ..."

Luke tasted blood in his mouth. He desperately tried to hit back, but there was no stopping Chilee this time. He was angrier than Luke had ever seen him, which was saying something.

Luke wondered if he would get out of this one alive.

* * *

As Vader arrived in the main hallway, Agent Pari came rushing down the corridor and came to a halt in front of him. Her blaster appeared to have been recently fired.

"Sir, we have three agents down and two injured. The Jedi is—"

Vader ignited his own lightsaber, seeing a cloaked figure appear behind her. It wasn't Obi-Wan. So, there were two Jedi in this house tonight. The agent turned around and fired rapidly, causing the intruder to deflect the bolts with his own red lightsaber. Vader felt a wave of anger at the travesty. That weak fool had no right to such a weapon. A fact further reinforced when he turned and ran.

Vader started to follow, but then he paused.

"Where is the boy?" he asked, turning to Agent Pari.

"I last saw him going into the ballroom."

Vader reached out with the Force and winced as he felt a sharp, stinging pain in his head in response. The boy was hurt! He didn't have time to wonder at why he would feel the boy's pain so keenly. Something was telling him he had to find him, and fast.

* * *

Obi-Wan paced up and down in the wind, feeling strangely passive. There had been few times in his life when he felt the presence of the Force as keenly as he did right now. It reminded him of something Qui-Gon used to say to him when he was a young padawan. About feeling the Force not just around you, but within you. Within your very bones.

The shape of a person landed on the roof with a thud behind him, and Obi-Wan turned, igniting his lightsaber. It wasn't his fallen apprentice, however.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked, lowering the blade.

Tis took a step towards him, looking vaguely menacing. "Vader went for the boy. He knew of our plan."

Obi-Wan frowned in confusion. What would motivate Vader to go after Luke? He must have sensed his presence by now. Vader's darkness was nearly overwhelming Obi-Wan. Unless he had somehow discovered the boy was his son ... but even then, why would he care about Anakin's child? Such feelings had no purpose for the Dark Side of the Force.

"There might still be a chance if we take him together," Obi-Wan said, finally, "We could—"

"No," Tis said.

"Why not?"

Tis ignited his lightsaber.

"If I can't kill his son ... at least I can deprive him of killing his former master!"

* * *

Upon entering the ballroom, Vader found himself treading on several broken wine glasses. He took in the appearance of the room in one quick glance—tables were overturned, food smeared on the walls, and furniture lay in disarray.

A shout alerted him to the location of the boy, and he stepped around a broken chair. A boy that had to be Lerrod's son was radiating such unrestrained fury it would have been enough to cause an earthquake had he been a Sith. It appeared he was so intent on damaging the younger boy, he hadn't even noticed Vader's entrance.

Vader chopped his way through several chairs with his lightsaber and then grabbed the older boy's arm, just as he raised his fist to strike again. The boy twisted around and looked up in terror. And kept looking up.

He stammered something incoherent, and Vader used the Force to throw him against the wall. He slid down and landed on his feet, and then took the moment to make a quick escape. Wise, in Vader's opinion. He crouched down beside the boy, assessing his injuries. His face was swollen and bleeding, and he wasn't focusing properly. It was likely he was concussed. Vader holstered his lightsaber and then helped the boy to his feet.

"I'm fine!" the boy declared, before stumbling forward. "Nearly took him!" Vader caught him before he hit the floor, and he made a noise of resigned frustration.

"Why is it," he enquired, "that wherever you are, destruction seems to follow?"

The boy didn't reply. Vader studied him, wondering what to do now. Leaving him here was out of the question—one of the Jedi could double back. He would have to keep the boy with him while he hunted down the Jedi. He bent down to scoop an arm under the boy's knees, trying not to think too much about what he was doing. It was necessary, as the boy couldn't walk quickly on his own, and he had to reach Obi-Wan. The boy didn't protest, although he seemed to be only partially conscious.

They soon reached the elevator bay, at the far end of the corridor, and Vader set the boy down while he pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator was slow to creak into action, causing Vader to bang the wall in frustration, idly hoping it would be intimidated into moving faster. The boy was injured; he needed medical attention now, and the longer he delayed, the greater the chance that Obi-Wan would again elude his grasp.

"Thank you."

Vader looked down, surprised the boy was still talking. "What?"

"Thank you. For getting that sleemo off me."

Vader was about to protest that he was only assisting the boy because he was bait for the Jedi. But the words sounded hollow, even in his mind. He couldn't deny it any longer. There was a connection between him and the boy ... a connection that kept drawing him in as much as he tried to resist. He would have to investigate this properly once he had dealt with the Jedi and the boy was healthy.

Nothing more was said until the elevator reached the top floor. Vader again picked the boy up and stepped into the corridor. Ahead was a stairwell, leading up to the roof. And he could sense two distinct people now. Both Jedi were up here. That made things a whole lot easier.

"Wait here," Vader said, setting the boy down at the top of the stairwell. "I will come back for you once I have dealt with these traitors."

As he opened the door, a crate came flying at his head, causing him to quickly step aside. The sounds of lightsaber blades clashing reached his ears, and he turned to see Obi-Wan struggling against the other Jedi.

He didn't waste time wondering why they were fighting, or who the second Jedi was. If he didn't do something quickly, Obi-Wan would be dead, and his desire for revenge would go unsatisfied for all eternity. His red blade ignited in front of his mask, and he crossed the distance of the small, square roof.

The unknown Jedi snarled at the sight of him and again wildly tossed a satellite dish in his direction. Vader sent it spinning back twice as fast, hoping to intimidate this Jedi into fleeing. He could hunt him down any time, but this opportunity to kill Obi-Wan might never come again if he escaped.

The Jedi somersaulted backwards, resulting in the object flying past him and tumbling over the edge, then he regained his balance and immediately charged at Obi-Wan. Vader rushed forward to intercept. Obi-Wan appeared weakened, it was unlikely he would survive another assault from this younger, quicker Jedi.

Vader attacked from behind, causing his opponent to forgo his assault on Obi-Wan in order to deflect it. Obi-Wan came in strongly from the other side, and suddenly a temporary alliance had been formed. Vader couldn't help but recall the many times Anakin had fought in this fashion as Master and Padawan.

The Jedi jumped to avoid a low-angled attack from Vader. Obi-Wan swung high, in perfect symmetry to Vader. The Jedi twisted awkwardly between their blades and then lunged wildly at Obi-Wan, forcing him backwards. Vader came in behind him, raising his lightsaber to deliver the final blow.

But his opponent twisted out of the way in a blur of Force-enhanced speed, and then caught Obi-Wan with a hard kick to the chest. His former master tumbled over the edge.

"You will pay for that, Jedi," Vader said, taking another angry swing at his opponent. It would have cleaved him in two, if he hadn't leapt into the air and flipped over his head. Vader turned around and came in fast. He attacked over and over, forcing the Jedi back with the sheer power behind every swing. As the opposite edge of the roof loomed into view beyond, Vader hooked the lightsaber out of the Jedi's hand and sent it flying over the edge.

The Jedi fell to his knees, and Vader brought his blade to his throat. Before killing this vile being, he needed some answers.

"What is the significance of that boy?"

"You mean the legendary Anakin Skywalker hasn't figured that out?" the Jedi rasped, struggling for breath. "I thought you were the _chosen_ one!"

Vader angrily grabbed the Jedi by the neck and lifted him over the edge. His captive clawed at Vader's gloves, struggling to breathe.

"I am _Darth Vader_ ," Vader stated. "Your puny defenses are nothing to the true power of the Dark Side."

To demonstrate, Vader mentally invaded his mind, crushing his shields easily. He sensed much hatred, much anger. Images of the Jedi's recent victims bubbled to the surface ... he was confused to recognize a middle-aged Owen and Beru Lars. It seemed this creature hated him so much, he had even sought out Anakin's extended family to exact revenge.

He searched deeper, seeking any information on the boy. There was nothing but an obsession for killing the child and endless visions of Vader looking on while it happened.

Did this Jedi really imagine he would care if he killed a child in his presence? He was clearly deranged. Vader lapsed his mental probe, and his prisoner began to laugh.

"I may not be able to kill the boy," he said, "But I killed your master, Anakin. You'll never get the satisfaction of revenge. How does that feel?"

Vader gripped the Jedi's throat tighter, preventing him from spewing forth any more annoying last words. "In the name of the Emperor," Vader said. "All Jedi must die."

They stared, face to mask, for a few seconds. Then Vader, almost lazily, released him. He turned around, brushing off his hands ... and met the gaze of the boy, who had just crawled out onto the roof. Of all the disobedient ... as if his constant tendency to get himself into trouble wasn't enough, it also appeared this boy couldn't obey a simple instruction to save his life.

A groan reached Vader's ears, and he quickly walked past the boy to the other side of the roof. Just as he suspected, Obi-Wan was hanging by one hand and one foot, a meter below the edge.

Obi-Wan looked up, and Vader looked down. He should finish this right now and see about getting that boy some medical attention. But he didn't want to let Obi-Wan's life end so easily. The only way it would be fitting for this Jedi to die would be by his blade.

He bent down and offered Obi-Wan his hand. Surprise flashed across the old man's face, but he took the offered assistance and crawled back to safety.

"You should have remained hiding in the Outer Rim, old man." Vader said. "Being here is the last mistake you'll ever make."

Obi-Wan gave a small, wise smile, perhaps agreeing with Vader, or perhaps just being smug.

Then he jumped to his feet and broke into a run. Vader ignited his saber, thinking he was attacking. But Vader was not his target.

Vader whirled around in time to see the other Jedi had somehow managed to survive being dropped over the edge. There was no time to berate himself for his stupid oversight—the overgrown insect was heading for the boy.

Obi-Wan hurled his lightsaber in desperation, but the Jedi shifted aside and caught it by the handle. But before he could bring it down on the boy, the older Jedi was there, blocking the attack with his own body.

Vader could only watch Obi-Wan's sacrifice in disbelief. His former mentor really had lost his mind. The other Jedi stared at Obi-Wan, distracted and obviously surprised. It was all the opportunity Vader needed. He stepped behind the creature and plunged his lightsaber through his upper body.

The corpse slumped to the ground, and Vader kicked it over the edge. He then turned his attention to Obi-Wan. The old man's wound was mortal. He was still breathing, though, hanging on to the last few moments of life. There was still time, if Vader wished to be the one to kill him himself. If he wished to stand by and watch him suffer. But before that, he still needed an answer.

Vader glanced at the boy and saw he was unconscious. He crouched down beside Obi-Wan and met his gaze.

"You died to save him," Vader said. "Why?"

"Look ... at ... him," Obi-Wan gasped, weakly. "Look ..."

Vader did so. He couldn't see anything remarkable about the child. Apart from his Force sensitivity, but that wasn't immediately visible.

"Anakin ..." Obi-Wan said, attracting Vader's gaze back.

Obi-Wan's eyes became blank and unfocused. Vader thought he was gone, until he managed one last shallow breath, necessary to choke out words that shocked Vader to the very core.

"He is your son."

Then, Obi-Wan's body faded into the Force.

* * *

_Continued in Force Bond 2: Threat_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Some of the sources for elements in this story:
> 
> Where Vader actually lived has changed a lot in Star Wars lore. Mid-nineties, there were comics and video games which had him on a planet called Vjun with acid rain. That was the inspiration for the Sith retreat on the acid rain planet Lygun in this story, and I added in the idea of Vader having 'pet' gargoyles from an early draft of ESB. Late nineties established Vader living on Coruscant, so I went with that when writing this in the early 00s. The 2016 Rogue One movie brought the awesome Fortress Vader to life on screen so I revised this to reflect that.
> 
> **Fanart**
> 
> Check out this amazing fanart:
> 
> From Klayper:
> 
> <https://www.deviantart.com/klayper/art/Force-Bond-part-1-198948145>


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